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Did Eric Hovde call for banning beer sales?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

An ad by the liberal super PAC WinSenate mischaracterizes what Republican Eric Hovde said about beer sales.

Hovde is running Nov. 5, 2024, against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin.

The ad says: “How do you know a politician's not from around here? How about calling for a ban on beer sales? … And he actually said that.”

The ad alludes to a March Rolling Stone article. It reported Hovde in 2017 responded to a question about legalizing marijuana by saying:

“So, if we just decriminalize (marijuana)? Fine. … Frankly, it should have happened with alcohol. … Alcohol has a lot of negative byproducts. If somebody wanted to distill it, drink it. Fine, go ahead. But, sadly, as we know, it’s produced a lot of negative byproducts. … And saying that, I think the cat’s out of the — or, the horse is out of the barn, and it’s going to be hard to put back.”

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AdImpact Beer 30s
WisPolitics WinSenate ad knocks Hovde's criticism of alcohol sales - WisPolitics
OpenSecrets WinSenate PAC Outside Spending • OpenSecrets
Washington Examiner Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate suggested banning alcohol sales in state known for its booze: Report - Washington Examiner
Rolling Stone GOP Senate Candidate Took Bold Stance Against the Sale of Alcohol … in Wisconsin
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.