California banker and mail order candidate for Wisconsin Republicans finally kicked off his official campaign for US Senate on Tuesday, with only months before the election. Hovde launched his campaign by mostly phoning it in.
Even before Hovde could announce, he had to take care of some important things, like divesting himself of his $2.3 million home in Washington DC by transfering the title of the house to his brother, who is also his business partner. This would have been just enough to maybe raise some eyebrows, until Hovde's inept spokesperson came along with some ridiculous story:
Ben Voelkel, a spokesman for Hovde's campaign, said the decision to transfer ownership of the D.C. home had nothing to do with the upcoming race.
Instead, Voelkel said, the family realized a couple of years ago that an attorney mistakenly put ownership of the D.C. house in trusts held by Hovde and his wife's names and not in his brother's. For 20 years, Steven Hovde has headed the two main trusts set up for the two daughters. The family fixed the mistake and filed the paperwork six months ago.
"In summary, Eric doesn't own the home," Voelkel said. "He doesn't live in the home."