Haunted by 2016, Kamala Harris Skips Day 2 of DNC to Campaign in Wisconsin
Haunted by the events of 2016, Democrats are once more turning their attention to the Badger State.
TroibNews 
**MILWAUKEE** — Kamala Harris has likely secured the support of Democrats, but now her focus shifts to Wisconsin.
While the party celebrated her in Chicago on Tuesday night, the vice president drew more than 15,000 supporters to Fiserv Forum, marking her third visit to this key battleground state since launching her campaign last month. Notably, she filled the same venue that was occupied by GOP delegates and party officials during the Republican convention in July.
The decision to host a prime-time rally in Milwaukee while the Democratic National Convention took place in nearby Chicago underscores Wisconsin's importance in the Democratic quest for 270 electoral votes. Democrats have been haunted by the 2016 election, during which Hillary Clinton's failure to campaign in the state led to her narrow loss. Harris is determined not to make that error as her campaign aims to reinforce the Blue Wall states, including the one that Joe Biden narrowly flipped four years ago.
“Wisconsin is one of the two or three most important states in this entire election. And we’re going to commit as if it is,” stated Paul Maslin, a prominent Democratic pollster with ties to Madison. "[Former President Donald] Trump and the Republicans are doing the same. We have a battle royale.”
Harris faces the daunting task of reaching voters in swing states like Wisconsin with only 11 weeks remaining until the election. While in Chicago, the rally featured prominent speakers, including former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Harris chose to take her message directly to the people.
“The coach and I were together in Wisconsin just two weeks ago — the first rally after I announced he would be my running mate,” Harris told her audience. “And it is so good to be back with all of you.”
Delivering her speech from a centrally located stage surrounded by a 360-degree audience, the arena was illuminated by flashing red, white, and blue bracelets distributed to supporters, with the word “freedom” prominently displayed throughout the venue.
“[Our campaign] is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom,” Harris declared. “Like the freedom for a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the government tell her what to do.”
She also criticized Trump’s recent remarks in a CBS News interview regarding the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, suggesting he would face electoral consequences in November.
Milwaukee served as a strategic location for the campaign, enabling Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to conveniently travel the 90 miles to and from Chicago. The event was intertwined with the DNC activities, including a live-streamed roll call attended by rally participants right before Harris took the stage.
The rally aimed to highlight Milwaukee's significance, especially after the party's 2020 convention was held virtually due to the pandemic. Most importantly, the visit—much like Harris’s earlier attendance in Milwaukee when she became the presumptive nominee—emphasized the critical role Wisconsin will play in the 2024 election cycle.
“Her first public rally was in Milwaukee. We didn’t see Tim Walz on the first day he was the vice presidential nominee, but Eau Claire was the second day. And then this positive disruption [during] the DNC,” remarked Mike Crute, a progressive radio host in the state. “They’re really incorporating Milwaukee into the DNC.”
Walz took the opportunity to contrast the energy of the DNC in Milwaukee with that of the recent RNC. “Not only do we have massive energy in our convention, we have a hell of a lot more energy where they had their convention. Right here,” he asserted. “That other guy is going to be so sad tonight, so sad.”
Since Harris announced her candidacy, her campaign has reported increased engagement in Wisconsin, with the state party experiencing a surge in new volunteer sign-ups. They now have over 170 staff members working across 48 offices in 43 counties, including 32 that Trump won in 2020. Current polls indicate a tight race, with Harris slightly ahead of Trump in the state.
However, maintaining Wisconsin's status as a blue state poses a significant challenge for Democrats. Biden's victory in 2020 was secured by a mere 20,000 votes, following a similarly narrow loss for Clinton. The president managed to attract support from traditionally Republican suburbs outside Milwaukee—a strategy that Harris will aim to replicate.
Achieving high turnout in the state's largest city, particularly among young voters and people of color, will be pivotal for Harris’ success. Cheryl Jackson, 46, a lifelong Milwaukee resident who attended the rally with her family, expressed that Democrats have often overlooked core voter demographics within the city.
“Democrats have realized that that’s been a mistake that they’ve made from the beginning,” Jackson stated. “But you need to come to the largest city because there are people here that are not even voting who you could get. I think that’s the mistake. Barack — his people figured that out. But Democrats have historically ignored it, and I don’t know why they would. Being the size and everything of this city, you can’t ignore it.”
Leslie Caringello, 62, another Milwaukee resident, reflected on the aftermath of the 2016 election. “I went to bed that night thinking [Clinton] was our next president and woke up to, what the hell happened here?” she recalled. “I think they’ve realized you can’t ignore any of the swing states. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Maslin emphasized that Harris' success will depend significantly on wooing independent voters, especially in northern Wisconsin and the suburbs of Milwaukee—particularly young, independent men. The inclusion of Walz as her running mate is seen as a potential advantage in attracting this demographic, with hopes that his background as a veteran, former teacher, and football coach will resonate with blue-collar workers and men, a group the Democratic Party has increasingly found challenging to reach.
“The battle for independent voters is going to be crucial,” Maslin concluded.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
While the party celebrated her in Chicago on Tuesday night, the vice president drew more than 15,000 supporters to Fiserv Forum, marking her third visit to this key battleground state since launching her campaign last month. Notably, she filled the same venue that was occupied by GOP delegates and party officials during the Republican convention in July.
The decision to host a prime-time rally in Milwaukee while the Democratic National Convention took place in nearby Chicago underscores Wisconsin's importance in the Democratic quest for 270 electoral votes. Democrats have been haunted by the 2016 election, during which Hillary Clinton's failure to campaign in the state led to her narrow loss. Harris is determined not to make that error as her campaign aims to reinforce the Blue Wall states, including the one that Joe Biden narrowly flipped four years ago.
“Wisconsin is one of the two or three most important states in this entire election. And we’re going to commit as if it is,” stated Paul Maslin, a prominent Democratic pollster with ties to Madison. "[Former President Donald] Trump and the Republicans are doing the same. We have a battle royale.”
Harris faces the daunting task of reaching voters in swing states like Wisconsin with only 11 weeks remaining until the election. While in Chicago, the rally featured prominent speakers, including former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Harris chose to take her message directly to the people.
“The coach and I were together in Wisconsin just two weeks ago — the first rally after I announced he would be my running mate,” Harris told her audience. “And it is so good to be back with all of you.”
Delivering her speech from a centrally located stage surrounded by a 360-degree audience, the arena was illuminated by flashing red, white, and blue bracelets distributed to supporters, with the word “freedom” prominently displayed throughout the venue.
“[Our campaign] is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom,” Harris declared. “Like the freedom for a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the government tell her what to do.”
She also criticized Trump’s recent remarks in a CBS News interview regarding the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, suggesting he would face electoral consequences in November.
Milwaukee served as a strategic location for the campaign, enabling Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to conveniently travel the 90 miles to and from Chicago. The event was intertwined with the DNC activities, including a live-streamed roll call attended by rally participants right before Harris took the stage.
The rally aimed to highlight Milwaukee's significance, especially after the party's 2020 convention was held virtually due to the pandemic. Most importantly, the visit—much like Harris’s earlier attendance in Milwaukee when she became the presumptive nominee—emphasized the critical role Wisconsin will play in the 2024 election cycle.
“Her first public rally was in Milwaukee. We didn’t see Tim Walz on the first day he was the vice presidential nominee, but Eau Claire was the second day. And then this positive disruption [during] the DNC,” remarked Mike Crute, a progressive radio host in the state. “They’re really incorporating Milwaukee into the DNC.”
Walz took the opportunity to contrast the energy of the DNC in Milwaukee with that of the recent RNC. “Not only do we have massive energy in our convention, we have a hell of a lot more energy where they had their convention. Right here,” he asserted. “That other guy is going to be so sad tonight, so sad.”
Since Harris announced her candidacy, her campaign has reported increased engagement in Wisconsin, with the state party experiencing a surge in new volunteer sign-ups. They now have over 170 staff members working across 48 offices in 43 counties, including 32 that Trump won in 2020. Current polls indicate a tight race, with Harris slightly ahead of Trump in the state.
However, maintaining Wisconsin's status as a blue state poses a significant challenge for Democrats. Biden's victory in 2020 was secured by a mere 20,000 votes, following a similarly narrow loss for Clinton. The president managed to attract support from traditionally Republican suburbs outside Milwaukee—a strategy that Harris will aim to replicate.
Achieving high turnout in the state's largest city, particularly among young voters and people of color, will be pivotal for Harris’ success. Cheryl Jackson, 46, a lifelong Milwaukee resident who attended the rally with her family, expressed that Democrats have often overlooked core voter demographics within the city.
“Democrats have realized that that’s been a mistake that they’ve made from the beginning,” Jackson stated. “But you need to come to the largest city because there are people here that are not even voting who you could get. I think that’s the mistake. Barack — his people figured that out. But Democrats have historically ignored it, and I don’t know why they would. Being the size and everything of this city, you can’t ignore it.”
Leslie Caringello, 62, another Milwaukee resident, reflected on the aftermath of the 2016 election. “I went to bed that night thinking [Clinton] was our next president and woke up to, what the hell happened here?” she recalled. “I think they’ve realized you can’t ignore any of the swing states. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Maslin emphasized that Harris' success will depend significantly on wooing independent voters, especially in northern Wisconsin and the suburbs of Milwaukee—particularly young, independent men. The inclusion of Walz as her running mate is seen as a potential advantage in attracting this demographic, with hopes that his background as a veteran, former teacher, and football coach will resonate with blue-collar workers and men, a group the Democratic Party has increasingly found challenging to reach.
“The battle for independent voters is going to be crucial,” Maslin concluded.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
