Republican support dwindles in Wisconsin’s historic GOP strongholds
By
Annabella Rosciglione
August 18, 2024 5:00 am
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Wisconsin’s WOW counties, the suburban counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington outside of Milwaukee, have been the Republican epicenters of the state for decades. Trends, however, suggest they may be moving more to the left than they historically have been.
Waukesha is the state’s third most populous with nearly 400,000 residents, behind the two most populous counties Milwaukee and Dane, which are the Democratic strongholds of the state. With Wisconsin’s national political relevance being so grand in recent elections, Waukesha’s status as a Republican stronghold is important if Republicans want to keep winning statewide elections in Wisconsin.
“It’s kind of a political joke amongst pundits that it all comes down to Waukesha County, Wisconsin. There is some truth to that —the turnout is really important for Republicans there. It’s really a place that they need,” Mike Wagner, a professor who focuses on political communication and public opinion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, told the Washington Examiner.
Historically, the WOW counties have been the most Republican areas of the state. During the 2008 presidential race, former President Barack Obama carried the state of Wisconsin by 14 points, but performed poorly in these counties. Obama won 59 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, but in Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties, he received less than 40% of the vote, which were some of the lowest numbers of all the counties he lost.
In 2012, presidential candidate Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) received 64.63% of the support in Ozaukee country. The county had previously been considered to be the most Republican of the three and even the state, but now looks to be the least of the WOW counties.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/3124519/republican-support-dwindles-in-wisconsins-historic-gop-strongholds/
