It's the Republicans that are the cheaters By Lucy Ritzmann, COURIER Staff
When it comes to running for Senate, the Constitution dictates that you must be a resident of the state you are running in at the time of the election. It is silent, however, when it comes to people who own a condo in-state just to tick that box and continue to mostly live in an entirely different place.
But while there is no rule explicitly banning this, there certainly is an unspoken one: if you can’t even bother to truly live in a state and get to know its communities, why should you deserve to represent them in the Senate?
That is a question that several Republican Senate candidates are facing this year. It seems like the GOP’s strategy, initially spearheaded by Sen. McConnell (R-KY), is to parachute in random millionaires with loose ties to battleground states, take pictures of them doing local sports and eating state-specific foods, and hope that no one notices that these people aren’t from there.
One would assume that lessons had been learned from Dr. Mehmet Oz – a failed contender for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat in 2022 who lost to John Fetterman after it was uncovered that Oz actually lived in a mansion in New Jersey. But that is not the case.
Here are four Republican Senate candidates in 2024 who aren’t actually from – or have seriously mischaracterized the way they are from – the state they’re running to represent:
Eric Hovde (Wisconsin)
Republican Eric Hovde is a millionaire hedge fund owner who is challenging Wisconsin’s Democratic incumbent Senator, Tammy Baldwin. Hovde was originally born in Madison and continues to own a home in a Madison suburb – however, his primary residence is a $7 million mansion in Laguna Beach, California. This property must make Hovde’s commute much easier, considering one of his main business operations is a California bank he owns that is worth $2.8 million. Hovde has also been named one of the most influential people in Orange County, CA three times.
Dave McCormick (Pennsylvania)
Dave McCormick is yet another millionaire hedge fund owner and Republican Senate contender in Pennsylvania, where he is going up against incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Casey. While McCormick owns a property in Pittsburgh, it is clear from his interviews and public documents that he mostly lives in a $16 million mansion on Connecticut’s “Gold Coast,” which alludes to the fact that the area has the densest concentration of wealth in America. McCormick’s Connecticut mansion is reported to have “a 1,500-bottle wine cellar, an elevator and a “private waterfront resort” overlooking Long Island Sound.”
Tim Sheehy (Montana)
Republican Tim Sheehy, who is described as an “aerial firefighter, millionaire business owner, part-time rancher, and occasional political donor,” is running against Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, a self-described seven-fingered dirt farmer. Sheehy has claimed that he grew up on farmland in Montana, when, in fact, he was raised in a multi-million dollar lakeside mansion in Minnesota. These days, Sheehy continues to be the millionaire CEO of a major federal aerospace contractor, as well as running a cattle “ranch” where it appears you can buy merch pretty easily but actual farm goods seem relatively limited.
Mike Rogers (Michigan)
Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers, who used to serve Michigan’s 8th district, campaigned heavily on his strong ties to the state. Now that he is running to challenge Democratic candidate, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, for Michigan’s open Senate seat, however, things have appeared to change. Public records show that Rogers appears to have moved to Cape Coral, Florida in 2015, where he owns a $1.7 million mansion and is still listed as a current resident and voter there. If this remains his status, Rogers technically wouldn’t even be able to vote for himself in Michigan.