MILWAUKEE — Republicans and Democrats are jockeying for position over who will have the biggest footprint in Wisconsin next year, and whether that will have an impact on the key battleground state of Wisconsin in the 2024 presidential election.
Republicans have planted roots in Wisconsin by hosting both their first primary debate and upcoming nomination convention in Milwaukee, along with launching early vote initiatives.
In many ways, this week was a preview of what is to come. Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said he believes starting and finishing the nomination process in Milwaukee could prove beneficial among voters, especially as a counter-effort to early voting efforts by Democrats, which have largely been effective.
A notable pivot from the party’s stance on the practice in previous elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) picked Wisconsin as the first state to roll out its "Bank the Vote" campaign.
Schimming said he has every Republican member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation backing the effort this time around.
“So Republican voters in this state are going to hear a unified message from the party, from our elected officials, from our national officials,” Schimming explained. “You've got to think about voting early. And I don't need to match the Democrats one for one on early vote. I don't need to do that. I get another 150,000 people to do it in Wisconsin and Joe Biden is out of a job. So, I'm happy with that position."
Democrats have recently experienced success at the state level, having won key races for governor and state Supreme Court. However, the party fell short of unseating incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson last fall. With another U.S. Senate race coming up in 2024, Democrats are optimistic having Tammy Baldwin’s name on the ballot will help.
Sen. Baldwin won her last race by double digits and a clear Republican challenger has yet to emerge. Both of those are positive factors in Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler’s opinion.
“Her candidacy will help us up and down the ballot, and at the same time, she would be the first to say we cannot take anything for granted in her race or any other race, so she is crisscrossing the state right now,” Wikler said. “And I think it’s critical to remember that Wisconsin elections often come down to less than one percentage point. So, we’re going to be working our hearts out to make sure that Tammy Baldwin is reelected and that we flip House seats, legislative seats in our state legislature and win the White House.”
Wikler added that he hopes to keep the Badger State blue by focusing on the possibility of a national abortion ban if Republicans are elected — a strategy which proved effective for Democrats in Wisconsin on the state level.