Eric Hovde, Sen. Ron Johnson both expected to land RNC speaking slots

MADISON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Senate candidate Eric Hovde will both speak at the Republican National Convention next week in Milwaukee.

Johnson plans to speak during the 6 p.m. hour Monday, an aide told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and his remarks will be in-line with the theme for the opening day of the convention: "Make America Wealthy Once Again." Hovde will speak Tuesday, his campaign confirmed.

Hovde is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin as she seeks a third term. He joined former President Donald Trump onstage at a campaign rally in Racine last month, praising Trump’s immigration policies and criticizing rising prices under Biden.

Trump announced his "complete and total endorsement" of Hovde at an April rally in Green Bay, saying the banking and real estate mogul has "tremendous potential."

"So go out and win. You better win," Trump said.

According to the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, released June 26, the presidential race was a virtual tossup between Democratic President Joe Biden and Trump, while in the Senate race, Baldwin led Hovde by 5 points.

Johnson spoke at the 2016 RNC in Cleveland as he sought a second Senate term. In a speech focused on national security, he went after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and his opponent, former Sen. Russ Feingold.

Johnson defeated Feingold — for the second time — in 2016 by 3.4 percentage points. He then fended off a challenge in 2022 from Democratic former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, winning by 1 point.

Lawrence Andrea and Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Hovde, Ron Johnson both expected to land RNC speaking slots