Senate hopeful Eric Hovde: Young people relying on Obamacare need to ‘grow up’

Republican Senate hopeful Eric Hovde has established quite the lowlight reel during his campaign.

He’s been exposed as a California carpetbagger running for office in Wisconsin. He flubbed the Pledge of Allegiance. He claimed he’s familiar with Black culture because he has “spent a lot of time in places like Africa” and been involved with homeless shelters and charter schools. And he’s had to defend saying that “almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote.”

Newly released audio shows Hovde hasn’t reserved his scorn for older people — he has gone after young folks as well.

Each passing week seems to bring a new embarrassing story for the Hovde campaign. And newly released audio shows Hovde hasn’t reserved his scorn for older people — he has gone after young folks as well.

In the clip, released by Heartland Signal, Hovde — a wealthy businessman who launched his career in his 20s with major help from his rich father — is heard railing against the Affordable Care Act provision that allows people to stay on their parents’ or guardians’ health insurance until they’re 26.

In the footage, which Heartland Signal said was recorded last week at a county fair in Wisconsin, someone can be heard telling Hovde that the provision for young people “just makes them lazy.”

Hovde called the provision a “stupid idea” before continuing his diatribe. (Heartland Radio said his campaign did not respond to its request for comment.)

“All we’re doing is delaying young people’s maturation,” he said. “And they need to grow up and move on, and stand on their own two feet. And, by the way, the lowest health care costs are when you’re 21 to 26.”

When the questioner yet again mentioned laziness, Hovde replied: “We’ve never had such a large percentage of working-age Americans that are sitting on the couch … and still living with their parents.”

Hovde’s evidence-free claim is pretty rich (pun intended) coming from a wealthy nepo baby who — far from standing on his own two feet — leaned on his father, who worked in real estate and was a top housing official in the Reagan administration, to get started.

But cruel hypocrisy and cringeworthy, fact-free comments are par for the course with Hovde. I don’t suspect young voters will like these latest remarks all that much.

Ja’han Jones

Ja’han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He’s a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include “Black Hair Defined” and the “Black Obituary Project.”