A Wisconsin Senate candidate is making national news because he owns a house in Emerald Bay – and allegedly makes Laguna Beach his primary residence.
Wisconsin politicos are going crazy over the story.
Republican Eric Hovde is a banker and real estate mogul who leads financial institutions in Wisconsin and California. He and his wife bought the Laguna house in 2018 for about $7 million. Located at 532 Emerald Bay, it abuts the hillside greenbelt and has panoramic views. It’s almost 4,000 square feet with five bedrooms and five baths.
For Emerald Bay, it’s about standard but for Wisconsin, it’s a “most luxurious and exclusive mansion.”
As CEO of Sunwest Bank, with nearby locations in Irvine, San Clemente and Tustin, Hovde is active in local financial circles – so much so that the Orange County Business Journal has named him one of its most 500 influential people in the county.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been detailing Hovde’s residency issues for some time, along with other Wisconsin media.
“The Republican has lived mostly in California since 2018 and leading up to his decision to run for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin,” according to The Wisconsin Independent.
Last week MSNBC picked up on the story, with host Rachel Maddow doing a lengthy segment.
“He lives in California,” Maddow said. “I should underscore here how badly the Republican Party wants to win this Senate seat away from Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. They really want to win this seat. But inexplicably, this is the guy they picked.”
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, of course, is relishing this carpetbagger fodder, calling him “California bank owner Eric Hovde (R-Laguna Beach).”
This isn’t Hovde’s first rodeo. In 2012, he lost the Wisconsin Senate primary to then-Gov. Tommy Thompson.
So perhaps with all of this drama it’s not surprising that even the “Real Housewives of Orange County” weighed in, filming a cameo video in February poking fun at Hovde, addressing him directly as a friend and neighbor.
“You know I’m from the Midwest,” says Vicki Gunvalson. “Love Wisconsin. But you’re leaving now. It’s going to get really cold there. I will miss you so much here in California.”
It ended by telling him to enjoy his cheese curds but come home soon.
