What Happened?

On November 4, Wisconsin awarded it's 10 electoral votes to Barack Obama.

Obama received 56.32 percent to McCain's 42.2 percent of the vote. In terms of number of votes, Obama racked up 33,143 to McCain's 20,944.

Obama won the majority of Wisconsin voters who said the economy was their top concern, as well as three-in-five women, the majority of men, young voters and both black and white voters, according to the AP exit poll.

Historically, Northeastern Wisconsin has tended to be more politically conservative. That has changed in this election. Brown and Door counties voted Republican in 2000 and 2004, yet both voted for Obama in this election.

In Chippewa County, Obama received 16,236 votes compared McCain's 13,489. Obama, of course, won Wisconsin and its ten electoral votes.
City of Eau Claire voter turnout of 78.9%, while Eau Claire Countyhad a voter turnout of 72%. The record turnout for the city was in 2000 with more than 90% turnout.

Northeastern Wisconsin voters in seven area counties have trended red during the last two presidential elections, according to canvass summaries from the 2000 and 2004 general elections.

In 2000, Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto and Shawano counties all went for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in their run against Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, according to statistics from the state Government Accountability Board.

The trend repeated in 2004, when all seven counties logged more votes for the incumbent Bush/Cheney ticket over Democrats John Kerry and John Edwards, although the Democratic ticket won Wisconsin both years.

"What you're seeing is a similar pattern, which is lots of areas that used to be red are going blue," Kraft said. "A lot of exit polls are telling us it's the economy. People feel at a real loss with the state of the economy — we're in a recession that could be a severe, long-lasting recession. I think people sense that. … They're not at all happy with the current occupant of the White House or with the current Congress. In many ways, Brown County is sort of typical of some of these states we're looking at."

1 Day to Go!!!

With one day left until the election, I think it safe to call Wisconsin for Obama. 

What stated out as a major swing state has now become a state sure to go to Obama. While past elections have been extremely close, in the end, they have ended up going Democratic. Also, recent polling is showing Obama gaining more ground in Wisconsin. Pollster.com has Obama with 52.6% to McCain's 40.9%.

While Republicans are still fighting for the state, igniting a final push this past weekend, they can't seem to fight Obama's funds. Obama has outspent McCain 5-1 in advertising. While the McCain campaign recently pulled out all advertising from Wisconsin, Wisconsin is listed as the number 8 in states where the most money has been spent in the final week. This means Obama is still spending huge amounts of money there. 

While the McCain campaign can continue to try, I believe the Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes will go to Obama. 

Obama Outspends McCain 5-1 in Advertising

According to the Wisconsin Advertising Project, Barack Obama's presidential campaign has outspent John McCain's campaign five to one in television advertising in Wisconsin.

"The advertising advantage held by the Obama campaign this year puts us in uncharted waters. This year the spending us hugely unequal and in some cases the Obama campaign has massive advantages." said Ken Goldstein, a UW-Madison professor who directs the Wisconsin Advertising Project. 

The Project said that in Wisconsin, the McCain campaign spent $202,000, while the Obama campaign spent $1,084,000. After a surge in the polls by Obama in recent weeks, the RNC pulled ads from Wisconsin markets. 

Another interesting fact the project released: Wisconsin is ranked eighth among all states in total advertising spending for the last week of a campaign. 

Local Races

While we have been focusing on the Presidential election, there are some state races that will also be of importance.

One of the most important issues will be which party controls the state Assembly. Republicans hold a 51-47 majority as of right now, but Democrats are hoping to take control.

Democrats lead the state Senate with 18-15 seats. This appears safe for the Democrats.

Green Bay has a very close race for teh 8th Congressional District. Incumbent Democrat Steve Kagen beat Republican John Gard two years ago, but their rematch appears very close. 

Obama has large lead over McCain

Here are four different polls, all showing Obama leading in Wisconsin:

Strategic Vision's Obama vs. McCain WI poll:

conducted Oct. 24-26

Obama: 50%

McCain: 41%

9 points

UW Badger Poll's Obama vs. McCain Wisconsin poll:

conducted Oct. 21-28

Obama: 52%

McCain: 42%

10 points

Research 2000/WISC-TV's Obama vs. McCain WI poll:

conducted Oct. 27-28

Obama: 53%

McCain: 42%

11 points

SurveyUSA's Obama vs. McCain Wisconsin poll:

conducted Oct.28-29

Obama: 55%

McCain: 39%

16 points

Campaigns make last push

Although Obama has a strong lead in Wisconsin, Republicans are not giving up! Volunteers at the La Crosse Republican office are working night and day to rally Republican voters.

"We have hundreds of volunteers this weekend working the phones, we have a lot of volunteers going door-to-door, we've really ratcheted up our volunteer list," said McCain Campaign volunteer Jim Berns, about this past weekend. 

To help McCain pick up ground, Republicans are sending 150 volunteers from other states over to Wisconsin.

On the other side of the election, Obama's Campaign has not slowed up either!

As Obama State Director Dan Kanninen said," We are very well positioned to win this state come Tuesday, but it's important to note that we're taking absolutely nothing for granted." 

Record Voter Turnout in Wisconsin? Not likely.

If a major increase in turnout occurs this election season, it is less likely to be seen in Wisconsin than other states. 

This is because turnout was so high four years ago and the race was more competitive at that time than it is now. Almost three-quarters of eligible Wisconsinites cast ballots in 2004, a level rarely achieved by any state at any time in the last several decades. 

"I have a hard time believing it will be higher than 75 percent. Seventy-five percent means just about everybody who could vote, or who had any inclination to ever vote in their lives, did." says Mark Graul, who directed the '04 Bush effort in Wisconsin.

On the other hand, the state's top election official, Kevin Kennedy, has forecast a turnout rate slightly higher than four years ago.

So who does large turnout favor? Most likely Obama because his field operation is seen as better and because of the potential Obama has to drive up participation among people under 30 and African-Americans. 

Both Campaings say they haven't forgotten about Wisconsin

Both candidates have cut spending in Wisconsin and have concentrated their attention on other states. However, Democratic vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan have both told Wisconsin's Channel 12 that they have not forgotten about Wisconsin.

Duncan said the McCain campaign hasn’t given up on Wisconsin, but that the camp is also competing in Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

“We're still (in Wisconsin) competing, we have our victory offices, we're sending people in, we believe that we're right on the issues, if you look back on the last two presidential campaigns, they've been very close in Wisconsin,” he said.

On the Democratic side, Biden said, "We're not confident, we're hopeful. And that's why we have such a significant ground operation there. We haven't backed off one little bit…and it's all going to get down to this early vote and on election day, Nov. 4, getting the vote out.”

Latest Poll from Rasmussen

Here are the latest numbers from a poll done by Rasmussen of 500 voters on October 23.

Barack Obama: 51%
John McCain: 44%

48 percent of voters agree with Obama's response to "Joe the Plumber" 40 percent disagree with Obama's comments about "spreading the wealth." Obama is viewed favorably by 57 percent of voters to McCain's 51 percent. Obama leads by 13 points among women and by 1 point among men. 65 percent say they expect Obama to win the state, while 24 percent say they expect McCain to win.

Wisconsin Update

Here is the latest news from Wisconsin from AP:

1. Wisconsin Republicans say that their best way to win the state is through a final 72-hour push to get his supporters to vote. The Republicans are sending 150 volunteers from other states to help out in Wisconsin. They will join about 7,000 local volunteers to contact voters as part of what the GOP is calling the "72 Hour Task Force."

2. Governor Doyle said that he spoke to Obama this week and that he promised to deliver the state to the presidential nominee. Doyle's only fear is that Democrats are over confident and wont turn up to vote.

2 More Endorsements for Obama

Two more Wisconsin newspapers have endorsed Barack Obama for president. Here are their names and excerpts from their editorials:

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 

"health care morass threatens pocketbooks and lives. Whether a U.S. Supreme Court tilt becomes more pronounced hangs in balance. Problems abound for any incoming president, including regaining U.S. stature abroad. The Bush Administration has bumbled from crisis to crisis for nearly 8 years, competence gone AWOL. The nation needs resuscitating change like a new baby needs that first breath of air. Two would-be successors pledge it. But Barack Obama is more believable. We recommend him to be the 44th president of the United States."

The Chippewa Herald: 

"Barack Obama has the proper vision of America's role in the world and the role of its government at home to establish sensible policies in these areas. America had widespread sympathy and support around the world after the 9-11 attacks. That support has evaporated due to the policies it has pursued. Obama would be in a position to restore America's credibility among its allies and friends. 

Ariziona Governor Stumps for Obama

Arizona Governor, Democrat Janet Napolitano told Obama volunteers last Thursday that the fight was not over and urged them to shake off overconfidence and "work until it hurts" to win this election.

"Wisconsin last time, the whole difference in the presidential election was two voters per ward--two voters per ward. The last thing we want to have happen is to wake up and find out that McCain narrowly won Wisconsin." she said. 

She continued, "It is possible that Obama can win Arizona, but ultimately that's not what we're depending on. We're depending on states like Wisconsin."

Why Wisconsin is Favoring Obama

With an election that was so close not too long ago, what made Wisconsin voters fall in the direction of Obama? The answer is the economy. 

The tough economic situation has obviously been hard on McCain not just in Wisconsin, but all over the nation. The truth is: people don't want to vote in an incumbent when the economy is in trouble. 

These are the sentiments in Wisconsin, where the people's main concern is the economy and jobs. A recent report by VOA News looks at politics through the eyes of the people of Janesville, Wisconsin, home to a GM plant. 

This plant, which has been around 90 years, has been home to thousands of workers. However, this December, General Motors will close the plant.

Not only will thousands of jobs of people working in the plant be affected, but another 6000 jobs in the community are expected to be lost. Examples like this show why Wisconsin workers are concerned about who will be our country's leader the next four years. Some people believe Obama can do the job, while others believe McCain can. However, situations like this seem to favor Obama, since he is the challenger this election season.

In fact Obama even tapped into this particular plant earlier this year, saying, "If our government is there to support you, this plant will be here for another hundred years."

Wisconsin Republican Party's New Obama-Ayers Mailer

The Wisconsin GOP is trying to heat things up by sending out mailers linking Barack Obama to 1960s radical William Ayers.

Ayers was a founder of the Weather Underground, a group that claimed responsibility for a series of nonfatal bombings.

It provides a brief history of Ayers' radical activities, claims he and Obama are friends and warns Obama is "not who you think he is."
The mailer also includes a 2001 quote from Ayers saying he doesn't regret the bombings. But the quote was placed next to a picture of Obama and not attributed to Ayers.

The flier provides a brief history of Ayers' radical acticities along with some pictures. It also claims he and Obama are friends and warns that Obama is "not who you think he is." A quote from Ayers is also included in which he says that he doesn't regret the bombings.

Wisconsin Republican Party Spokeswoman, Kirsten Kukowski, defended the mailing, saying, "We're not calling Barack Obama a terrorist," she said. "We never have and never will. He is not. The mailer was just a small part of the party's overall message."

10 Days To Go!

With ten days to go until the election, it looks as if Wisconsin will go to Obama.

While in the past, the elections have been extremely close (Kerry and Gore won by 1 percent in the past two elections), they have, in the end, gone Democratic. Earlier in the election process, there was a lot of hope for Republicans to win the state. Republicans surged in the polls after the convention, probably due to the introduction of Sarah Palin. Obama and McCain were neck in neck post-RNC. However, the fall of the economy has been hard on McCain and his numbers in the polls have been dropping in Wisconsin. While there are many different polls with different numbers, I am going to use numbers from Pollster.com, which currently has Obama with 51 percent and McCain with 41 percent.

Both campaigns have been focusing heavily on Wisconsin, holding rallies all over the state. Obama spent $185,000 on TV in Wisconsin to McCain's $60,000, which gives him a huge edge. Also, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has spent an a comsiderable amount of time campaigning for Obama. The Wisconsin State Journal has also endorsed Obama.

Governor Doyle Campaigns for Obama

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has made himself a regular on the Wisconsin election scene, campaigning regularly for Barack Obama. 

His next stop: Working the college vote at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

Doyle urged the 120 students who came to hear him speak to vote early so they would be able to volunteer at the polls on election day. He stressed the importance of voter turnout, because higher turnout benefits Democrats. 

"Obama started the race for president based on two principle causes," Doyle said. "He is seeking to bring "fundamental change" to america and run a campaign that brings people together instead of dividing them." 

And yet...another poll

A new poll was released by St. Norbert College Survey Center showing Obama with a lead of 51 percent to McCain;s 38 percent. The poll of 400 likely voters was taken from October 9 until October 17. There is a margin of error of +/- 5 points. 

McCain did better when it came to the Iraq war and national security, but Obama did better when it came to health care, taxes, the economy, energy, dealing with financial crisis, bringing change to Washington, understanding what's important to average Americans and handling "an unexpected major crisis." 

56 percent of voters said they don't think Sarah Palin has what it takes to be president, while 70 percent said they believed Joe Biden does have what it takes to be president.

8 percent said the country is going in the right direction. 

Obama focusing less on Wisconsin, more on Red States

Wisconsin is always a hotspot during election season because, while it has traditionally gone Democratic, it is always be extremely close margins--these past two elections were particularly close. 

Now that Obama feels he has Wisconsin in his hands, he is moving on...to Red States! The democratic nominees wants to win some states that George Bush took in 2004. He has already made a stop in Virginia and cancelled his Madison stop today, replacing it with a stop in Indiana, before heading to Hawaii.  

How has Obama been able to be so competitive in these red states? Money. His campaign has way overspent McCain's in advertising, to his favor.

Monday alone, Obama spent $185,000 on TV in Wisconsin to McCain's $60,000. This, of course, is not a red state but this pattern of spending is echoed throughout the country. 

McCain Campaign hasn't visited Wisconsin in 2 weeks, so College Republicans are taking over!

As McCain's numbers begin to slide in Wisconsin, Madison College Republicans are starting to work on more local races like the state Assembly. 

College Republicans' chair Sara Mikolajzak said that by keeping the state Assembly under Republican control, they can keep the liberal agenda out of Wisconsin. 

Also important to Mikolajzak: showing that there is a strong support base for presidential nominee, McCain.

The McCain campaign has not visited Wisconsin in two weeks, as polls show Obama leading in the state.

"The McCain campaign is doing what it needs to do to secure votes, so if he needs to be in Pennsylvania, then he needs to be in Pennsylvania. He is doing what he needs to do." Mikolajczak said. 

To 

Obama unleashing robocalls attacking McCain's campaign

The Obama Campaign unleashed a robocall in Wisconsin today that attacks the McCain campaign. It features a small business owner from Green Bay, who says she's been turned against McCain by his "sleazy" roboslime campaign against Obama.

Ironic that they are using robocalls to combat robocalls?

Here is a script from the Obama campaign's robocall:

Hi, this is Jeri Watermolen, calling for the Campaign for Change. I live in Green Bay and, like you, I've been getting sleazy phone calls and mail from John McCain and his supporters viciously -- and falsely -- attacking Barack Obama. I used to support John McCain because he honorably served our country -- but this year he's running a dishonorable campaign. We know McCain will continue many of Bush's policies, and now he's using George Bush's divisive tactics. In fact, he hired the Bush strategists whose attacks even McCain once called hateful.
Barack Obama will turn the page on these negative politics and stand up for the middle class. That's the change we need, and it's why I have changed my mind about John McCain. Join me in voting for Barack Obama. Paid for the Campaign for Change, a project of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, 608-255-5172, and authorized by Obama for America.

New Poll

In a recent poll done by SurveyUSA, Obama leads McCain 51 percent to 43 percent. The poll surveyed 641 likely voters in Wisconsin. The margin of error ir plus or minus four.

This is a smaller margin than other recent polls, although it's almost identical to the one done by SurveyUSA in October.

SurveyUSA said that "Obama remains well positioned to pick-up 10 electoral votes" and offered these breakdowns:

"Obama leads among women, is tied among men ... McCain runs well among those who do consider the USA to be a Super Power, who do not consider themselves to be an intellectual, who do own a gun, who are pro-life. Independents and Moderates break heavily for Obama."

Obama Cancels Madison Appearance

Barack Obama was supposed to make a stop in Madison for a rally on Thursday, but is now canceling it so he can visit his sick grandmother in Hawaii. 

Wisconsin campaign spokesperson Matt Lehrich said he couldn't rule out a later Obama visit before the Nov. 4 election but that there was nothgin concrete as of late Monday. 

Is Wisconsin Winnable for McCain?

The Republican National Committee is pulling presidential ads in Wisconsin and Maine to focus on more Republican states where McCain may have some trouble.

While this is significant, this doesn't mean that the GOP has pulled out of Wisconsin completely. The McCain campaign plans to buy airtime until at least October 26.

The real question is "Is Wisconsin Winnable for McCain or should he pull out completely?"

According to Charles Franklin of pollster.com, McCain should give up Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and spend his time on Ohio and Flordia, states where he trails, but still has a chance of winning.

When you're down as far as he is, you have to pursue a minimum winning strategy. The best way to do to get that minimum is red states," Franklin said in an interview. "There's always a chance they know something that's happening internally in those states," he says, referring to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but "I think the data is pretty compelling."

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is still going strong in Wisconsin. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusets rallied for Obama in Madison alongside Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin.

While the outcome looks encouraging in Wisconsin for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the hardest work still lies ahead of us. Wisconsin is a battle ground state,” Baldwin said. “In the past two presidential elections, our state was decided by less than 1 percent of the vote.”

According to pollster.com, Obama leads with 50.7 percent to McCain's 42.6 percent.

Obama wants Wisconsin supporters to vote early

On a video clip emailed to supporters in Wisconsin, Obama urged his supporters to go ahead and vote. 

"Voting is easy in Wisconsin. You can go do it today. Just go to your local clerk's office. You can vote today even if you've never voted before, even if you've never registered before," Obama said in the video.

This effort is part of the Obama campaign's push to get supporters to vote before election day. Absentee voting started in Wisconsin last week. 

Obama supporter Cass Hanson voted at the Madison clerk's office Monday when a friend who works for the campaign told her the lines would be long on Election day. "I had to change my address anyway, so I figured I might as well vote," she said.

McCain is also doing his best to try and get his supporters to vote early by sending out tens of thousands of postcards containing instructions on absentee voting. 

City Clerks expect there to be much more early voting than last year.

In other news, the Wisconsin State Journal, the state's second largest newspaper, is backing Barack Obama for president. 

In an editorial published Sunday, the paper said Obama is the best leader to make America feel good about itself again and to improve relations with other countries.

In the 2004 election, the paper backed George W. Bush. 

McCain Supporters want him to "take it to" Obama!

At a town hall in Waukesha, WI, John McCain and Sarah Palin were met by supporters urging them to "take it to" Obama.

The crowd was cleary angry at Obama and wanted to push McCain to step up and be more forceful when communicating with and about him.

What, specifically, does the crowd want to hear from McCain? They want him to harp on Obama's associations with people like Bill Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

One African-American man told McCain he doubts anyone in the crowd had taken the “ass whipping” he had for supporting the Republican nominee. He told McCain that the upcoming Oct. 15 debate was vital and pushed him to hit Obama in his “soft spots” such as ACORN and Wright. “I’m begging you, sir. I’m begging you. Take it to him,” the man said to wild applause from the crowd.

McCain promised he would do this but quickly changed the subject back to the economic crisis.

McCain received another question, asking “We’re all wondering why Obama is where he’s at, how he got here. Everybody in this room is stunned we’re in this position. We’re all a product of our association. Is there not a way to get around this media and line up people that he has hung with?”

Another questioner told McCain he was mad about “the socialists taking over our country,” including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "When you have an Obama, Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country, we gotta have our head examined,” the man said. “It's time that you two are representing us, and we are mad. So go get 'em!"

Following the rally, Dem Gov. Jim Doyle addressed a crowd of 100 Obama supporters at a counter rally at the senator’s campaign office in Waukesha. “Two candidates in Waukesha County have decided to do anything they can to try and distract the people of Wisconsin from what the real issues are in this campaign,” Doyle said. “Rarely has a campaign revealed itself as clearly as the McCain campaign did, where one of their leading spokespeople a few days ago declared that ‘if this campaign is about the economy, we’re going to lose.’

Latest Poll Results

Things are not looking good for John McCain. While polls were getting tighter earlier in the week, they have now gone way in Obama's favor, giving Obama a double digit lead. Here are the results from a poll conducted by Research 2000 on October 5-6. They surveyed 600 people from Wisconsin, with a margin of error of +/- 4.

WH '08 General Election Matchup-

All Men Wom 9/25
Obama/Biden: 51% 46% 56% 49%
McCain/Palin : 41% 46% 36% 43%

Who Do You Trust More To Handle The Economy?

B. Obama: 57%
J. McCain: 31%
Undecided: 12%

McCain: Working Wisconsin

Since pulling efforts out of Michigan, John McCain is working hard to gain some ground in some other important battleground states, one being Wisconsin.

McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, are coming to Waukesha, Wisconsin on Thursday morning for a a town hall. McCain will then hold a rally that afternoon in Wausau. These appearances will come only 2 days after McCain's debate with Obama, which is scheduled for tonight in Nashville, Tennessee.

Friday, McCain will then head over to LaCrosse, where he will hold a 9 am rally. LaCrosse is located in one of 8 very important counties in Wisconsin that the candidates are needing to focus on in order to win the state.

The LaCrosse Tribue asked readers what they would ask the presidential nominees in tonight's debate. This gives a good idea of what the the Wisconsin voters are looking for in a president. Here is a link to the article.

While McCain is working hard to win the state, polls show Obama is gaining ground. In a recent poll of 859 likely voters in Wisconsin, Obama had 51 percent while McCain had 46 percent, with a margin of error of 3.5. This poll's findings put Wisconsin as "leaning Obama" rather than a toss up. However, this is just one poll.

McCain Pulls out of Michigan, Steps up efforts in Wisconsin

The McCain camp has announced they are pulling resources out of Michigan and moving them into Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

Michigan was one of five blue states that McCain was after. The others include Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Hampshire. McCain needs to win a couple of blue states since it is looking as if Obama may win some important red states.

"Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are two states we feel very strongly about and two states that would be key to putting us toward 270 electoral votes, "said McCain political director Mike Duhaime.

However, McCain faces some obstacles.

First, Obama is way outspending him in Wisconsin and in other key states. Between Sept. 16 and 29, Obama outspent McCain on TV in Wisconsin by almost 2-to-1, according to figures provided by a northern Virginia firm that monitors political advertising, TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG. Obama spent $1,254,281 on local broadcast stations in the state, while McCain spent $657,923.

Also, Barack Obama has made gains in the polls in recent weeks. In Wisconsin, Obama was leading by 2 to 4 percent in early September. But Thursday, the Atlanta firm of Strategic Vision had Obama up by 9 percent in Wisconsin, at 49-40. Two other recent polls confirmed that Obama was gaining ground here.

Email Warns Voters: Do Not Wear Obama Gear on Election Day

The Wisconsin Democratic Party is trying to expose a false email, claiming that people who wear Obama buttons, hats, or t-shirts will not be allowed to vote!

The Democratic Party spokesman, Alec Loftus, said Tuesday that party activists have reported receiving the email and have sent messages to thousands of democrats, warning them the email, which is being spread through the social networking site, Facebook, is false.

"Voting is fundamental," he wrote. "You have the right to vote; don't let anyone tell you differently."

The email warns that people wearing paraphernalia were campaigning illegally and those that were doing it would be turned away. This, however, is untrue. What is not allowed is creating disturbances on polling sites. It's up to the chief election inspector at each polling place to determine what creates a disturbance.

Obama and McCain Need to Focus on Western Wisconsin

Both John McCain and Barack Obama need to do well with independent voters in eight counties which border Minnesota.

Voters in these counties have voted for John Kerry and Al Gore in the past two elections but tend to vote Republicans into the state legislature and local offices. For example, Republicans have been elected into nine of the 15 legislative districts covering the 11 counties.

These areas are agricultural based. On economic issues, voters tend to be more liberal while on social issues, they tend to be more conservative.

"My advice to McCain is to be himself," Republican strategist Mark Graul said. "He is the exact kind of maverick reformer candidate that western Wisconsin likes. I think they saw President Bush as a little bit more standard Republican and certainly John McCain isn't that."

Obama's Wisconsin spokesman Phil Walzak said independent voters are looking for a new way of doing business in Washington and that's why Obama is a better pick for western Wisconsin than McCain, who's been in Congress for 26 years.

Obama made a stop in one of these counties, in the city of La Crosse, on Wednesday. The city of about 52,000, is home to a University of Wisconsin campus and a student population Obama has been playing well with across the country. At this stop, Obama made a speech which called for swift action on a rescue plan for the nation's financial sector. He declared the crisis"an outrage" caused by "the greed and irresponsibility that has dominated Washington and Wall Street for years."

McCain's also made a stop in this are of Wisconsin. He held a women's-only business summit in the city of Hudson, just across the river from Minneapolis-St. Paul. He also stopped briefly in nearby Eau Claire.

Along with western Wisconsin, other swing parts of the state are Green Bay and the Fox Valley in the northeast and the suburbs of Milwaukee.

Rural Voters Key in Wisconsin

Rural Voters in Wisconsin are key to both McCain and Obama when it comes to winning the state.

Obama has been opening offices in rural areas and sending out party operatives to meet directly with voters, while McCain has relied on mailings and phone calls.

Recent polls show Obama and McCain in a dead heat, but McCain is favored by rural voters, especially since Palin joined the ticket.

Obama's Great Lakes Plan

In an earlier post, I mentioned the Governor of Wisonsin, Jim Doyle's, comment, which said that the next president should make it a priority to preserve the Great Lakes.

On Tuesday, Obama gave a proposal for a Great Lakes restoration program which would give $5 billion over 10 years to protect the lakes. The Obama campaign is hoping this will help pick up some votes in Wisconsin and Ohio.

State Republican Party chairmen from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin on Tuesday issued a response to Obama's plan saying, "John McCain has made his commitment to supporting the Great Lake Compact abundantly clear. He has a long record of working in a bipartisan manner, which is exactly what is needed to bring about real reform and solutions to challenges that we need to address now. Barack Obama's solution, like we've seen before, throws taxpayer money at the problem instead of reaching across party lines and working toward a comprehensive solution."

Obama and McCain Fight for Wisconsin

Both sides are heavily focused on winning Wisconsin and it's 10 electoral votes. As we have just passed the 50 day mark, the Obama and McCain campaigns are stepping it up in Wisconsin, each hoping to become the victor of this state. 

John McCain is increasing his number of offices in Wisconsin from 10 to 18 and paid staff members from 20 to about 30. The race has come much closer, which is a result of the Republican Party in Wisconsin being energized by McCains VP choice, Sarah Palin. The campaign is hoping to make things even closer by becoming more organized in the state. Along with the added offices, McCain and VP candidate Sarah Palin are coming to the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon on Thursday. This is their second stop to Wisconsin since Palin joined the ticket; it was the first place they visited after the convention in Minneapolis. 

Obama is also opening up more offices. He is opening up 4 more offices to make a total of 36 offices across the state. Although McCain is catching up to him, the Obama campaign is not worried. They say that they will just have a much narrower win than they were expecting. Along with opening up new offices, Obama's "Heartland Change Tour II" comes to Waupun today. Campaign staff and supporters will join together to discuss Obama and McCain's records as they relate to rural Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin Governor thinks Great Lakes should be National Priority

This is an interesting article from the Mansfield News Journal. Governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, said that the next president should make it a priority to preserve the Great Lakes. He then told reporters that Obama has a stronger record on environmental issues than McCain. I posted the link below.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/UPDATES01/80911015

Race Getting Closer in Wisconsin!

As we near 50 days until the election, the race in Wisconsin still appears too close to call. Current polling indicates that the two candidates are neck in neck. According to Pollster.com, Obama leads with 48.1% over McCain’s 40.4%. However, another survey given on September 5-7 by Strategic Vision (a Public Relations Group), called it even closer. They asked 800 likely voters in Wisconsin if the election for president were held today, would you support the Democratic ticket or the Republican ticket. 46% said they would support Obama while 43% said they would support the McCain. With the +/-3 margin of error, the two could be in a dead heat. Also, McCain seems to be leading in two of the major issues of this election. When asked which candidate would better handle the economy, 48 percent said McCain while 41 percent said Obama. When asked which candidate would best handle the war in Iraq, 45 percent said McCain while 43 percent said Obama. Also interesting is that the people of Wisconsin seem to love Sarah Palin. She has a 55% approval rating, while Joe Biden has a 43% approval rating.
Past elections don’t make it any easer it predict. While the past four elections have all gone democrat, they have done it by a small margin and have been highly contested. The past two have been especially close. The results are as follows:


2004: Kerry: 50%
Bush: 49%

2000: Gore: 49%
Bush 48%

1996: Clinton: 49%
Dole: 39%

1992: Clinton: 41%
Bush: 37%

Two key issues for voters in Wisconsin are the economy and trade. According to the Associated Press, seven in ten voters said international trade has resulted in lost jobs in Wisconsin. Fewer than one in five said trade has created more jobs than it has lost.

Here is an overview of the economy, according to National Journal:

Industry:
Agriculture: 2.8%; Construction: 5.9%; Finance: 6.1%; Information: 2.2%; Manufacturing: 26.7%; Professional: 26.6%; Public Administration: 3.5%; Trade: 14.8%; Other: 11.3%
Work Force:
Work Sector:
Private:81.1%; Govt:12.5%; Self:6.1%; Family:0.3%; Unemployment:4.7%
Median Household Income: $43,791
8.7% are below the poverty line
13.0% less than $15,000
25.9% $15-35,000
18.1% $35-50,000
33.6% $50-100,000
6.4% $100-150,000
3.0% more than $150,000
Median Home Value: $109,900
10.0% less than $50,000
33.8% $50-100,000
43.6% $100-200,000
8.7% $200-300,000
3.0% $300-500,000
1.0% more than $500,000

Wisconsin currently has a Democratic governor, Jim Doyle, and a Republican-controlled state Assembly. Both of their senators, Russell D. Feingold and Herb Kohl, are democrats.

As of right now, the race is too close to call. The democrats have a slight lead, but a lot can happen in 50 days. It will be interesting to see what happens!

Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes.