Hometown political expert weighs in on Eric Hovde's bid against Sen. Tammy Baldwin

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Multimillion businessman and Republican Eric Hovde is expected to formally announce his bid for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat against incumbent Senator, Democrat Tammy Baldwin.

Hovde was in Racine for the County's Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday night. Political experts says Hovde's appearance at the dinner is a good indicator he's in the race for the long haul. 

“Clearly he’s got the bug," said Mordecai Lee, a professor emeritus at UW-Milwaukee. 

Hovde first ran for a seat in the senate in 2012. At that time, he lost in the primary to Governor Tommy Thompson. Thompson went on to lose to Baldwin. 

“He's essentially saying, 'I want another crack at Baldwin,'' said Lee. "It’s like 'I sort of want to correct history from my point of view.'"

Lee says name recognition can make or break candidate. 

“I think Mr. Hovde’s behavior in the last six months, 12 months is an indication he’s been interested in running, but he wasn’t ready to declare," said Lee. "He’ll probably spend a couple million dollars with the “hi, I’m Eric Hovde, here’s my background. And within a couple of weeks, everyone will know who he is.”

Lee says for Hovde, joining the race a few months ahead of the election isn't a concern. 

“It’s money that can be exchanged for time. With money you can do that very really quickly," said Lee. 

He says Hovde, or any other Republican candidate would have to rise to Senator Baldwin's presence. 

“Senator Baldwin is very different. Senator Baldwin is around Wisconsin all the time," said Lee. 

Lee says Wisconsinites are unpredictable voters and swing voters might decide who will represent Wisconsin in the Capitol. 

“I suspect that the U.S Senate race will be closer than it has in the past," said Lee.