Unlike Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden Isn't Taking Wisconsin For Granted
It was around this time four years ago — fewer than 50 days out from the election — when Wisconsin Democrats began grumbling that then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was ignoring them. But Clinton’s campaign was confident in their data, which showed Wisconsin was locked.
On Election Day, Clinton lost Wisconsin by just under 23,000 votes. The Democratic candidate had never stepped foot in the state for a general election visit. Her first TV ad there aired a mere 10 days before the election.
Four years later, it’s clear that presidential nominee Joe Biden and the Wisconsin Democrats have learned some big lessons from that loss.
The campaign has made the state a clear priority: It’s already spent $16 million on ads in the state, with other Democratic groups pouring in an additional $18 million, according to data from Kantar/CMAG. Even with his travel schedule limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, Biden has already traveled to the state twice. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the party’s vice presidential nominee, traveled to the state for her first in-person campaign events earlier this month.
And Democrats in the state can feel it on the ground. “The presence of the Biden campaign is more noticeable than any presence the Clinton campaign had when you could physically do things,” said Mike Tate, a former chair of the state Democratic Party who is now a lobbyist.
The difference is remarkable: Biden holds a clear and consistent lead in public polling, with Biden often topping 50% and Trump struggling to climb out of the low 40s. (Clinton had similar leads in polling, but there have been far more high-quality polls in Wisconsin this cycle, and there are fewer undecided voters.)
The presence of the Biden campaign is more noticeable than any presence the Clinton campaign had when you could physically do things Mike Tate, former state Democratic Party chair
Among the three states that clinched the presidency for Trump —...
