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What's at stake in battleground Wisconsin for 2020 election

Posted at 11:10 AM, Jan 08, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-08 13:16:47-05

The 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee is now just six months away. Charles Benson talked with both political teams about what's at stake in battleground Wisconsin.

President Obama easily carried Wisconsin in 2008 and 2012 but a low voter turnout in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee was a wake up call in 2016.

"We are talking about getting all our numbers up in places like Milwaukee but also recognizing that a lot of these counties that voted for Obama twice and then flipped for Trump - we have a lot of work there to bring those voters back into the fold," said Phil Shulman with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Shulman's job title says it all, he is Director of Trump Rapid Response in Wisconsin.

"When we have people having the choice of paying rent or paying prescription drugs and when they learn that a lot of this is because of the erratic policy decision making from President Trump," said Shulman.

President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 with fewer votes than Mitt Romney who lost Wisconsin in 2012, but polls show over 90% of state republicans back him.

"I think we're going to grow our vote total period, because the difference between running as an outsider and running as an incumbent is in 2016 it was an act of faith," said Marc Lotter, director of strategic communications from Trump's reelection.

Lotter says President Trump's team is also up and running in Wisconsin, hoping to repeat in 2020. He told Charles Benson that Trump will not be afraid to talk about his record.

"He can talk about the 40,000 plus jobs that have been created in Wisconsin since he became president," said Lotter. "The manufacturing jobs that have been created in Wisconsin, the investments and things he's been doing and delivering on the promises that he's made."

President Trump will be in Milwaukee Tuesday, Jan. 14 for a campaign rally at the Milwaukee Panther Arena.

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