The Sconi

Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde stated that his opponent in the race, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, supports U.S. border policies that have led to fentanyl becoming the leading cause of death among young people in Wisconsin. Hovde shared his statement with The Sconi on Aug. 12.

"Sen. Baldwin and VP Harris' radical open-border policies have only incentivized mass illegal immigration and emboldened drug cartels to flood our streets with fentanyl," said Hovde. "Because 38-year career politician Sen. Baldwin has done nothing in Washington, fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for young people in Wisconsin and is killing over 100,000 Americans every year -- no election year memo can change those facts."

According to Insight Crime, 4.5 tons of pure fentanyl and 434 tons of methamphetamine are produced in Mexico per year "in order to meet the demand of the US consumption market." The chemical components cost between $9 million and $22.5 million for fentanyl and between $83.3 million and $126.5 million for methamphetamine. Investigations show that the chemical precursors to these synthetic drugs have been imported from China through companies such as the Zheng drug trafficking organizations.

Mexican cartels' influence and operations have spread globally, engaging in drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, according to Police1. Cartel members bribe officials and infiltrate law enforcement, enabling long-term influence and control. The Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel Jalisco Nuevo Generación (CJNG) have established networks across the U.S., with investigations revealing money laundering schemes and drug trafficking networks that demonstrate the cartels' impact on U.S. communities.

PBS Wisconsin reports that 1,358 Wisconsinites died of opioid overdose in 2022, with a majority of those deaths due to fentanyl. This number is 60% higher than the number of opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin just five years earlier. The hardest-hit age group for synthetic opioid deaths in Wisconsin is young adults aged 18 to 44, who have recorded 40.7 deaths per 100,000 people.

According to his campaign website, Hovde was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an entrepreneur and founded the charitable organization The Hovde Foundation with his brother.