BBCWisconsin, famous for its cheese, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Green Bay Packers football team, is one of seven states that will decide the 2024 US presidential election.
Voting in battleground states is difficult to predict and could tip either Republican or Democratic. That’s why we hear so much talk about battleground states as the campaign draws to a close.
That's all you need to know.
population
5.9 million people (same amount as Denmark)
number of electoral votes
In a nutshell
It is one of the big three states in the Midwest, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, which gave Joe Biden victory in 2020.
2020 margin
How is it now?
Wisconsin is a mix of cities, small towns, and large rural areas, making it one of the most contested states in 2024.
The Republican Party held its national convention in Milwaukee, where Trump received a hero’s welcome after surviving a gunshot wound just days earlier. Kamala Harris held her first rally there in July. Both have returned to the state several times since then.
What are voters saying?
Harris’ campaign hopes to attract voters like Sara Webber, a 24-year-old Madison-based engineer.
“Women’s rights are at the top of my list,” she says.
When Harris appears in the state, she tends to accuse Trump of being a threat to democracy and focus on Trump’s false claims about the election. But immigration is a big issue at Trump’s rallies, where supporters talk about how their candidate, and by extension his supporters, have been treated unfairly. Fans appear unfazed by Trump’s legal troubles, with some wondering if criminal charges could backfire.
“This will definitely increase his popularity,” said Nancy Ridge, who attended the Milwaukee rally wearing a jacket with Trump’s face on the back.
“Especially among lower-class people who have been convicted of crimes or wrongly accused. They understand the justice system and how corrupt it can be.”
What do the experts think?
Michael Wagner, director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said maximizing turnout in Dane and Milwaukee counties, which include the capital, Madison, could be key to Harris’ victory. . Harris also added that she needs to make sure she doesn’t lose votes in rural parts of the state.
He said Trump needs to do better in suburban counties where support for Republicans has declined. A key location to look at, he explains, is the counties surrounding Milwaukee, known as the “Wau” counties: Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington.
Report by Mike Wendling