MADISON, Wis. — On Saturday, March 16 Eric Hovde is set to join convicted January 6 insurrectionist Brandon Straka at a Brown County Republican Party event. Straka was arrested and pleaded guilty in 2021 to several criminal charges stemming from his participation in the violent attack on our nation’s Capitol building, an attempt from the MAGA faction to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election, lost by Donald Trump.
Straka, who is currently serving a sentence of 36 months probation for his role on January 6, is filling in at the event for fellow election denier and MAGA politician Marjorie Taylor Greene.
According to a criminal complaint, Straka made several online posts bragging about his involvement in and support of the January 6 attack, including a video of himself outside the Capitol doors encouraging other insurrectionists to storm inside the building. The complaint also details witness video footage of Straka’s involvement in ripping a shield away from a U.S. Capitol Police Officer during the attack.
In response to Hovde’s plans to publicly cozy up with Straka this weekend, the following are comments from A Better Wisconsin Together Deputy Director Mike Browne:
“California mega-millionaire Eric Hovde’s decision to keep such company is another stunning display of just how out of touch he is with the values of Wisconsinites.
“Eric Hovde, by choosing to share a stage with Brandon Straka, is showing support for a MAGA faction that engaged in a violent attack on our national Capitol and a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of an election they overwhelmingly lost. If they had succeeded, the votes of millions of Wisconsinites would have been thrown out.
“We deserve leaders who will uphold the will of the voters, even if they don’t like the results. To associate with a known participant in an attempt to illegally overturn an election is a blatant disregard for our fundamental freedom and the promise of democracy – that all votes hold equal weight in our elections. It raises serious questions about Eric Hovde’s judgment, his ethics, and his values.”
