State Dem Party Chair Ben Wikler Criticizes GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Eric Hovde Over Nursing Home Lawsuit

State Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler has launched a scathing attack on GOP U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, accusing him of being involved in a lawsuit alleging elder abuse, negligence, and wrongful death at a nursing home partially owned by his bank.

Hovde, who serves as the CEO of Sunwest Bank in California, has come under fire after The New York Times reported that his bank was named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit against Momentum Senior Living in Claremont, Calif.

During a press call with reporters, Wikler sought to draw a connection between the lawsuit and Hovde’s recent comments about nursing home residents voting in the 2020 election. Hovde had previously stated on a radio show that “almost nobody in a nursing home” is capable of voting, a statement he later clarified by saying he does not oppose elderly people voting.

“We have to ask where does Eric Hovde’s disrespect and mistreatment for seniors stop? He doesn’t seem to respect Wisconsinites,” Wikler said. “He thinks that seniors who may be toward the end of their lives aren’t in a place to vote—this would deny voting rights from seniors.”

When questioned about holding an investor owner accountable for the actions of an operations executive at the nursing home, Wikler expressed concerns about Hovde’s comments regarding his experience lending to nursing homes and questioning the fitness of nursing home residents to vote.

In response to the allegations, Hovde’s campaign has indicated that they are considering legal action against The New York Times for defamation, claiming that the story was orchestrated by Democratic operatives in an attempt to smear Hovde.

“This entire story is an orchestrated hit by Sen. Baldwin’s Democratic operatives and The New York Times by manufacturing a lawsuit against Sunwest Bank in order to smear Eric Hovde,” a spokesperson for Hovde stated in an email.

The spokesperson also clarified that Sunwest Bank has not yet been served in the case, which would allow the bank to move to dismiss it. Additionally, they emphasized that Sunwest was never a manager of the facility in question.