This year's presidential election — a likely rematch of Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump — could come down to voters in swing states like Wisconsin.
To take the temperature of how Wisconsin voters are feeling about the election, WUWM invited five of them to our studios for a roundtable discussion on March 26.
While each voter has an idea of who they'll support in November, some of them are swing voters who could be swayed to vote Republican or Democrat, depending on the candidate.
WUWM connected with the roundtable participants through our election survey. We have learned through the survey that Wisconsinites want to hear from people with political views different from their own. This roundtable is one way we're hoping to help people better understand each other.
If you're interested in participating in a future voter roundtable, please fill out our election survey.
The roundtable was moderated by WUWM's Maayan Silver and Audrey Nowakowski. Here are some of the takeaways we heard from the voters. Their answers may be edited for clarity and length.
John Wirth
Age: 60
Occupation: Lawyer
Political affiliation: Independent
"I consider myself a Reagan Republican. In 2016, things changed. I haven't left the Republican party, the Republican Party left me. And I think at this point, I'm neither Republican nor Democrat — I'm disgusted.
On Tuesday [presidential primary in Wisconsin], I'm going to vote for Nikki Haley. But when the general election comes, that's a hard choice for me to make. But I will end up voting for President Biden, not because I agree with his policies, but because I believe Mr. Trump is not fit to be commander-in-chief of this country.
The way [Trump] treats people, the way he refers to people, his beliefs about people who have different religions, his misogyny. But also, some of his policies. I think the world is a less safe place with a president who doesn't believe in NATO and who doesn't believe that Putin is a is a danger to the world and doesn't want to stick up for our allies.
It's not a vote for Joe Biden. It's a vote against Donald Trump."
Tracey Davis
Age: 40
Occupation: Paralegal
Political affiliation: Independent
"I'm a Black woman who navigates the world obviously as a Black woman, a lot of the issues we're facing as a country is magnified from being a minority, a woman, and a woman with Black sons.
I'll be the first person to say I vote with the party that serves my interest. I don't have a loyalty to a party, the parties work for me, they need to have a loyalty to me. So if you're bringing forth a Black agenda that suits my needs for the brown and Black community, then I'm with you. You have my vote, whether Republican or Democrat. But that's not something that I've seen, I feel like the Republican Party has taken off in ways that no one could have imagined.
There's a candidate who says things like he doesn't want certain people to come from blank-hole countries. Well, those people look like me.
When I look at it, I simply see a choice between one old white guy and another older white guy. It's not very representative. Biden — there's a troubled relationship with, you know, his policies and some of the bills that he's brought forward with regards to the incarceration of brown and Black people. And then we have a stated racist, you know, on the ballot. Both have caused harm to my community.
If I had to vote today it would definitely be a vote of the lesser of two evils. So my vote is for the older white guy, unfortunately."
Grae O’Leary Hosmanek
Age: 23
Occupation: Graduate student
Political affiliation: Right-leaning Libertarian
"I voted for Biden in 2020 and I have changed a lot politically. If you asked me 10 years ago, where I was at, I would tell you that I was a socialist and an atheist. Today I consider myself a Christian and a libertarian conservative. So I've had a very big turnaround in the last four years.
The economy is huge for me. Being 23, I'm looking to move now, and settle down, put some roots down, get my first big girl job. And just looking at the price of things that I used to not think about at all, even when I was buying them for myself.
Also, as an educator, seeing the way that public school has changed, is scary. I was having to teach CRT, teaching that me being the oppressor in a room full of minority students. And having graduated two years ago, I kind of missed the curve on this, but now telling students that they're born in the wrong body, that they should transition behind their parents' back. Things that I find highly immoral and things that I find stray from the very core values of our country.
And although both candidates are imperfect morally, if not in other ways, I will be voting for Trump. Although he's not ideal, neither is Biden. So Trump has got my vote. But obviously, if we had someone younger, with better views, that would be ideal, but we don't."
Marin Webster Denning
Age: 62
Occupation: Educator
Political affiliation: Democrat
"Native people are only 2% of the population. In democracy, we're often run over or not often heard, because if you're 2%, how can we be any measurable majority or minority? But it is an interesting place to see things.
I'd have to say, it's less about politics and more about what it is to be a person in this life. And the person who speaks to me is Joe Biden, as somebody who has lost a son, it colors a person, and how we move and how we decide things for families and people. And so it's not for a policy, but who that is as a person.
There is an appeal to me on the other side of the political ledger, a conservative voice. And that is of fiscal conservatism. And it's also that the United States government getting out of people's lives.
When I look out at the world and international relationships, I'm watching what's happening across the ocean. And it looks very familiar to me. It looks like a very large, weaponized government going after indigenous people. And that Palestinian issue has me ask a lot of questions about what this government is about, in particular, the Biden administration.
When people decide that one death deserves another, or a few deaths deserve more deaths, it is very tough for me to look at that and say, this is a just society, and we are living in a just world. How much death is enough before there's justice?"
Jodi Koehler
Age: 64
Occupation: Manager at retail garden center
Political affiliation: Democrat
"To me the most critical issue in this election and always is the health of the planet. Clean air, clean water, preservation of all species. We live in this amazing, beautiful planet with incredible biodiversity and we treat it like garbage.
So I would vote for Biden, simply because I have to vote for the earth. And we need to just immediately stop putting resources into fossil fuel infrastructure and look for clean energy.
I've read so many sources that say young people are so worried about the economy And I think, what about breathing? You know, are you fond of breathing?
I just heard an advertisement that said, you know, are we going to allow the government to regulate the kind of car that we drive? Are we going to let them do that? And I'm like, yes! Because we're selfish. We can't make that decision on our own.
My husband and I cancel each other out when we vote. A lot of his feelings, and his ideals, and his visions I share. So it is a difficult election. And I think just from the standpoint of being a Christian, and looking at really intrinsic Christian values, and how they sometimes conflict with with both presidential candidates."
Nadya Kelly, Xcaret Nuñez, Ann-Elise Henzl, Becky Mortensen, and Jason Rieve contributed to planning and production of the voter roundtable.
