With the recent commotion surrounding the 2024 political election, Wisconsin has hosted multiple campaign rallies from both sides of the spectrum. As a swing state, the parties are pushing to win the votes.
As the election neared, each presidential candidate tried to win over “purple” states, like Wisconsin. This year, both parties have hosted rallies all across the state. The Republican Party has hosted rallies in towns such as Green Bay, Juneau, Waukesha, Racine, Waunakee, Prairie du Chien, Mosinee, Madison, and Milwaukee throughout the year. This includes significant events like the Republican National Convention and general rallies. On the other side of the spectrum, the Democratic Party has also held many rallies in Wisconsin. They also visited the towns of Milwaukee, La Crosse, Green Bay, Madison, and Eau Claire (more information about the rallies below). Moving away from the topic of the presidency, debates have also been held in Wisconsin for the upcoming Senate election. Baldwin and Hovde met in Madison to debate over the position. You may wonder why Wisconsin is such a hot spot for political events. Because of our swing state status, it has been discussed multiple times that whoever wins our state will significantly affect the outcome of the vote, and it has even been named the most critical state in this election. The statement “Whoever wins Wisconsin will win the election” has been commonly used throughout the year. Wisconsin is one of the most visited states for events this year. However, as the candidates have worked around the clock, the Wisconsin locals have become more worried about traffic!
As stated before, both parties have rallied throughout Wisconsin. Trump and Harris have made many stops and worked to “swing” Wisconsin to their side. Former president Donald Trump visited Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention from July 15-18. During this convention, he revealed his highly anticipated running mate, Senator JD Vance. Vice President Harris’ first visit to Wisconsin was on July 23, in West Allis. This took place only 2 days after President Biden exited the race, making this Kamala’s first presidential rally. Soon after, on August 7, Harris and Walz made their first joint appearance in Eau Claire, while Vance completed his first campaign stop just 4 miles away. This dual rally happened again on August 20th. Vance spoke about public safety and crime in Kenosha, and later in the day, Harris and Walz rallied in Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum. Both parties continued to travel around the state, touching on topics like immigration, the Russia-Ukraine war, and our economy. On October 1st, Trump visited highly Democratic areas like Dane and Milwaukee County to express his ideas and opinions, stopping at Discovery World. Walz made headlines on October 23 when former President Obama appeared, and the pair rallied voters. Five days later, Vance stopped in Racine and Wausau and held rallies in both locations. Kamala Harris was joined by multiple top musicians such as Gracie Abrams, Mumford & Sons, Remi Wolf, Matt Berninger, and Aaron Dessner from The National on October 30 at her rally in Madison. Harris commented on the many UW students and first-time voters who attended this energetic event. Both parties ended their Wisconsin Campaigns with a blast, appearing on November 4, the day before the big election. Vance visited Lacrosse to rally voters, while Walz and his wife visited Stevens Point and Milwaukee. Even though both Trump and Harris put immense effort into their campaigns, in the end, only one will unlock the White House this January.
Note: This issue was written before the Nov. 5 General Election. President Elect Donald Trump won Wisconsin’s electoral votes by a margin of 49.7% to Harris’ 48.8% of the vote. The continued presence of both the Trump and Harris campaign throughout our state in the weeks leading up to the election reflects Wisconsin’s role as a key swing state.
