It's down to the wire for Harris and Trump in Waukesha County, a battleground inside battleground Wisconsin
WAUKESHA, Wis. — “We are a purple state,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers told volunteers at the Waukesha County Democratic Party headquarters, revving them up before they leave to knock on doors to get out the vote. With Democrats and Republicans so evenly divided he urgently reminds them, “Every vote is going to count.”A few hours before the Evers visit Saturday, actor Jennifer Garner also stopped by to rally the troops as they prepared to canvass voters in the closing days of the election where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remain in a deadlock. Actor Jennifer Garner rallies the troops for Vice President Kamala Harris at Democratic Party headquarters in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was elsewhere in the state stumping for former President Donald Trump.Lynn Sweet/Sun-Times “There is a difference,” said Garner, who’s been stumping for Harris, “between voting Republican and voting for someone who is actively wanting to tear our country apart.”I’m in the city of Waukesha and dropped by the county Democratic headquarters because this political turf near Milwaukee is the battleground within the Wisconsin battleground. Related Illinois elected officials deploy to swing states to get out the vote for Harris-Walz and Congress candidates Here’s what Harris said — and notably left out — in her Ellipse speech to voters There are three Republican counties — Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington — dubbed the “WOW” counties, where Democrats have been making gains the past few years. Keeping down the GOP vote in the "WOW" counties is as crucial for Democrats as pumping turnout in the Democratic strongholds of Madison and Milwaukee.In 2020, Biden lost Waukesha County, drawing 39% of the vote. But that improved on the 35% of the vote Hillary Clinton got in the county in 2016.Wisconsin, with 10 Electoral College votes, is one of seven swing states whose voters will decide whether Harris or Trump win the White House. It’s purple because Wisconsin went for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2016 — with less than 1% of the vote determining the outcome. And unlike solid blue Illinois, with no major contests, our neighbors to the north have been the targets of intense presidential campaigning — in person and in a barrage of video ads paid for by campaigns and outside groups. Former President Barack Obama hit Milwaukee on Sunday to squeeze out Democratic votes. Speaking at the Baird Center, Obama emphasized the power of one vote when it comes to Wisconsin. Former U.S. President Barack Obama addresses a rally Sunday in Milwaukee for Vice President Kamala Harris. The candidates and their surrogates are visiting swing states with two days remaining in the campaign and polls showing a dead heat.Spencer Platt/Getty “Understand that your vote really does count,” Obama said. “Here in Wisconsin, a single precinct might be decided by 10 or 20 votes, and those votes could determine the fate of our republic, the world that our children and grandchildren will inherit. That is an awesome responsibility, but what an extraordinary privilege that is, to live in a democracy that gives each of us the chance to make a difference, gives each of us the chance to make our voices heard.” An elephant statue outside the Republican Party of Waukesha County headquarters. Wisconsin went for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, with less than 1% of the vote determining the outcome.Lynn Sweet/Sun-Times The Waukesha County Democratic Party operates out of an old house a few blocks off
WAUKESHA, Wis. — “We are a purple state,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers told volunteers at the Waukesha County Democratic Party headquarters, revving them up before they leave to knock on doors to get out the vote. With Democrats and Republicans so evenly divided he urgently reminds them, “Every vote is going to count.”
A few hours before the Evers visit Saturday, actor Jennifer Garner also stopped by to rally the troops as they prepared to canvass voters in the closing days of the election where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remain in a deadlock.
“There is a difference,” said Garner, who’s been stumping for Harris, “between voting Republican and voting for someone who is actively wanting to tear our country apart.”
I’m in the city of Waukesha and dropped by the county Democratic headquarters because this political turf near Milwaukee is the battleground within the Wisconsin battleground.
There are three Republican counties — Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington — dubbed the “WOW” counties, where Democrats have been making gains the past few years. Keeping down the GOP vote in the "WOW" counties is as crucial for Democrats as pumping turnout in the Democratic strongholds of Madison and Milwaukee.
In 2020, Biden lost Waukesha County, drawing 39% of the vote. But that improved on the 35% of the vote Hillary Clinton got in the county in 2016.
Wisconsin, with 10 Electoral College votes, is one of seven swing states whose voters will decide whether Harris or Trump win the White House. It’s purple because Wisconsin went for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2016 — with less than 1% of the vote determining the outcome.
And unlike solid blue Illinois, with no major contests, our neighbors to the north have been the targets of intense presidential campaigning — in person and in a barrage of video ads paid for by campaigns and outside groups.
Former President Barack Obama hit Milwaukee on Sunday to squeeze out Democratic votes. Speaking at the Baird Center, Obama emphasized the power of one vote when it comes to Wisconsin.
“Understand that your vote really does count,” Obama said. “Here in Wisconsin, a single precinct might be decided by 10 or 20 votes, and those votes could determine the fate of our republic, the world that our children and grandchildren will inherit. That is an awesome responsibility, but what an extraordinary privilege that is, to live in a democracy that gives each of us the chance to make a difference, gives each of us the chance to make our voices heard.”
The Waukesha County Democratic Party operates out of an old house a few blocks off Main Street. On Oct. 28, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, was at a coffee shop on Main Street campaigning with Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, a longtime Republican, now an independent, who is endorsing Harris.
And it was on Main Street that I interviewed a woman I spotted wearing a “,la” button on her denim jacket. If you don’t get it — say it — "comma-la."
WATCH: Amara and Leila, two of Vice President Kamala Harris' nieces, took the stage at the DNC for a lesson on how to pronounce their aunt's name.
"First you say comma, like comma in a sentence," Amara said.
"Then you say, 'La,' like lalalala," Leila finished. pic.twitter.com/YuGZdaJWpZ— PBS News (@NewsHour) August 23, 2024
Cathy Milosch, 62, who is retired, lives near Waukesha. She backed Clinton in 2016. I asked her why things were so divided here.
“I find it very confusing,” she said. “I have friends who are Republican, and I try to talk to them about why they feel the way they do. And I think that what I find is they either listen to a different group of news than what I listen to; [or] they'll get a lot of their information on the internet.”
Milosch said what she considers “common sense” when it comes to Trump’s flaws (racism, sexism, criminal charges, constant lies, insults, etc.), “I feel like they're not seeing it. It's like they're on a totally different plane of information.”
I asked her how, if Trump wins again, it would affect her personally.
“I think that there'll be a lot of anxiety of the unknown. You know, is he going to come after all the Democrats that have donated? This election is the first time I've ever donated to an election in my life.”
Milosch said she made seven or eight small donations to the Harris campaign — $25 to $30 — totaling about $150 or $175. “If Trump were in office, I just think it is going to be chaos.
“I think that it’s going to be inflation, I think we’re going be in a recession by next year or the middle of next year because of the things that he wants to do. I think that people are going to stop spending money. I’m just fearful what the future brings,” Milosch said.
I got a totally different take when I interviewed two Trump backers. Jerry Breske, 53, owns a construction company, and his fiancee, Brenda Dekan, 47, is a manager at a decorative panel manufacturer. We spoke inside Joey’s Cafe on Main Street.
This is Breske’s third vote for Trump.
Why? “He is a businessman, and he's not the typical politician," Breske said, "… he was getting us back on our feet, energy independent, and getting paid what we were due from other countries that we helped protect, the ones that we typically would give money to and still protect them, and they wouldn't hold up their end of the bargain. That's why, that's one of the main reasons why I vote for Trump.”
I asked him if any of the Trump controversies gave him pause.
Breske was forgiving. “We're all sinners. Well, there was one that wasn't, Jesus Christ, but there's been no other human that has not sinned.. … I think people take a lot of stuff that he says out of context. He is a very bright individual, very high IQ, very funny. And sometimes when he's talking off the cuff, it might come across as rash … the people that want to look at it in a bad way are the ones that just don't like him.”
He continued: “If people only understood Trump better, I think they would really come to love him and pray that he becomes our president." Breske's bottom line: “We need to fix the country. Inflation is way out of whack, and it happened in the last four years.”
Dekan said she voted for Trump in 2020 and Clinton in 2016.
She’s for Trump, in part because, “I am making the most I've ever made pay wise, and I'm living check to check. I shouldn't have to do that. It's a struggle. It's a struggle. I believe that we're not safe right now, and I believe that he's got our country's best interest."
When asked how Trump would change her life, Dekan said, “When Trump is president, I feel like I can afford things again.”
I asked Gov. Evers about Wisconsin being a swing state. "I don't see it as a benefit or deficit," Evers said. "I just think that is the way Wisconsin is."
What's Your Reaction?
