Eric Hovde Claims He Knows Black Culture Because He Had Black Friends, Lived in DC For 20 Years

MADISON, Wis. — This week Eric Hovde claimed that he knows Black culture because he had Black friends and because he “lived in D.C. for 20 years.” 

“Black culture? I lived in D.C. for 20 years,” Hovde said. “Black colleagues, Black friends. I lived in Black culture.”

As Hovde won’t let Wisconsin voters forget, he spent the majority of his adult life living anywhere but Wisconsin. And in the decades that Hovde lived in Washington, D.C., he lived in one of the wealthiest and whitest neighborhoods in the city.

This isn’t the first time Hovde has insulted the Black community. In June, Hovde claimed to be familiar with Black culture because he has been to Africa and runs “homeless shelters for abandoned kids” there, a statement that Congresswoman Gwen Moore called abhorrent and out-of-touch.