Monday's visit of both major party vice presidential nominees to the Milwaukee area was just the start of a flurry of candidate drop-bys to Wisconsin this week. We thought we'd take a closer look at who the visitors are seeking to reach.
Democratic vice presidential contender Tim Walz went to a coffee shop in Waukesha and stood next to the city’s Mayor Shawn Reilly. Reilly recently revealed he stopped voting for Republican presidential nominees in 2016 and has endorsed this year’s Democratic ticket of Walz and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, continued Democrats’ efforts this fall to appeal to Republican voters who dislike GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Walz even highlighted the accomplishments of a few past Republican presidents who were once unpopular with Democrats.
“It was Richard Nixon who said we can grow this country and produce, and at the same time, pass the Clean Air and Clean Water Act. People forget this. Ronald Reagan stood in the breach as communism was spreading and said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’ This is not who Donald Trump is. This is not that Republican Party,” Walz told a small crowd of voters.
Monday evening in Racine, GOP vice-presidential candidate JD Vance told a rally that it’s Harris who needs to be defeated on Nov. 5.
“So in eight short days, I’d like you to join me in saying, ‘You’re fired,’ to Kamala Harris, ‘and go back to San Francisco where you belong,’” the Ohio senator said to loud cheers.
Next up for Wisconsin are visits Wednesday evening by Trump to Green Bay, where former Packers quarterback Brett Favre will join Trump on stage, while Harris will speak in Madison, after the crowd hears from several big-name music performers, including Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
Trump will continue the ongoing battle this fall to win Packers fans who vote, while Carroll University political scientist Lilly Goren said it looks like Harris’ stop at Madison is designed to get college students to the polls, either for early voting, which ends later this week, or to the polls on Election Day.
Prof. Goren said often those younger folks need coaxing.
“With students, they’re usually first-time voters. And so, it’s really this question of trying to move somebody who has never voted before. And, I talk about this a lot with my colleagues at Carroll, in terms of talking to our students about going to the polls. Because if you’ve never done it before, it’s actually kind of an intimidating process. You have to register. You have to get a ballot. You have to sort of make up your mind, who do I want to vote for? It’s not as easy as clicking on something on Amazon, shall we say,” Goren said.
On Friday night, Trump will hold a rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. While part of the goal there may be to attract students, Goren said the Republican Party may also be targeting infrequent voters.
“If you’re a middle-aged voter who hasn’t voted very frequently, that same sort of level of possible intimidation, or concern with the process, is something that may hold you back,” Goren said.
On Monday, Oct. 28, the Harris/Walz campaign announced they’ll try to get ahead of Trump by bringing former President Bill Clinton to Milwaukee on Thursday.
While the campaigns probably would like to focus on turnout at this point, Monday was a reminder that the visiting candidates may also have to address new concerns. Such as when Sen. Vance, in Racine, responded to the controversy over Sunday night’s Trump campaign rally in New York, at which a comedian insulted Black and Latino Americans and the people of Puerto Rico.
Vance said, “I didn’t hear it when it happened. A comedian told a joke, and I don’t think that’s news worth making. What is news is that Americans can’t afford their groceries because Kamala Harris has been a terrible vice president.”
In Waukesha, Gov. Walz briefly referred to the New York rally: “Their closing argument was clear to the rest of the world. It’s about hate, it’s about division, it’s about dividing us.”
Don’t be surprised if Wisconsin gets more candidate visits before—or on—Election Day.
