Election 2024: Trump travels to the Democratic stronghold in Wisconsin

WAUNAKEE, Wis. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to spend the hours before Tuesday evening Vice President Debate Election campaign in Wisconsin, stopover in a critical Democratic district This is crucial for the Democrats Kamala Harris ‘ hopes for victory in the crucial battleground state.

Trump is scheduled to appear at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee, a suburb of Wisconsin’s capital Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County. Trump has never campaigned in Dane County before, nor has he been there as president.

Later on Tuesday, Trump is expected to hold an event at a museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city and home to the largest number of Democratic voters and the second largest number of Republicans. His appearance there will also give him access to the city’s conservative suburbs, a part of Wisconsin where his support has waned but where he must do well to win.

Trump is expected to focus his comments on the economy. On Saturday he held a rally in western Wisconsin, where he accused Harris of crimes committed illegally by people in the country.

Both stops are available debate on Tuesday between Trump’s vice presidents JD Vancea senator from Ohio and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Waltzthe governor of Minnesota.

Dane County, the site of Trump’s first stop, is Wisconsin’s fastest-growing county and an economic engine for the state, fueled by jobs in the health care and technology industries. The University of Wisconsin is also located here.

Dane County’s population grew by about 30,000 people between 2016 and 2020. Since then, it has risen by another 13,000, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

That presents a challenge for Republicans, especially given that nearly 90% of registered voters in the county cast ballots in 2020. president Joe Biden won 75% of the vote in Dane County that year, beating Trump in the county by 181,000 votes while the state rose by less than 21,000. Hillary Clinton beat Trump by 47 points in Dane County in 2016, and Trump won the state by less than a point.

Still, Dane County has the third-largest number of Republican voters of any county statewide.

“President Trump’s appearance will be a huge win for demoralized conservatives here,” Dane County Republican Party Chairman Brandon Maly wrote on X, the social media platform, when the visit was announced. He said Trump would need to get at least 23% of the vote in Dane County to have a chance of winning statewide.

Democratic presidential candidates have long come to Dane County to hold large rallies to fire up the base. Harris campaigned there On September 20, she held a rally in Madison that was attended by more than 10,000 people.

Waunakee, which bills itself as “the only Waunakee in the world,” is slightly more Republican than the county as a whole. In 2020, Trump received 36% of the vote there, compared to less than 23% nationally.

Trump is expected to speak at Dane Manufacturing, a metals manufacturer with a long history Host Republican Candidates and officials. In Milwaukee, Trump will speak at Discovery World, a science and technology museum on the shores of Lake Michigan.