Over the course of a month, the tone of the 2024 presidential race has shifted entirely. Voters were fired up as Vice President Kamala Harris made a last-minute bid against former President Donald Trump to compete in the battleground state of Wisconsin and win the election this November.
While recent rally-goers for President Joe Biden were still steadfast on his victory in just weeks prior the switch, in less than a month Harris has managed to energize a new base of supporters, drawing in sizable rally crowds to re-engage Democratic voters who may have lost enthusiasm for the Biden campaign.
Harris secured enough delegates on Aug. 2 to receive the Democratic nomination two weeks after Biden’s abrupt decision to not seek re-election. She also received a surge of support from campaign donors. In a week, Harris' campaign raised $200 million, $73 million more than Biden’s total for the month of June, according to CBS News.
On Tuesday, Harris drew in the largest crowd of her campaign at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee where she spoke in front of 18,000. The Democratic National Convention broadcasted the rally after the delegate roll call in Chicago.
Harris is a historic candidate in this election. She is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to be nominated by one of the two major parties. If Harris wins in November, she would also be the first woman elected president of the United States.
“I will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in November,” Harris said during a rally in West Allis, Wisconsin on July 23.
Israel’s war on Gaza and abortion rights remain important issues for young Wisconsin voters
During the Democratic primary in April, 32% of voters in UW-Madison-area wards voted uninstructed in a warning to the Biden administration that sending military aid to Israel and not pushing for a permanent cease-fire would lose him support among young voters, a demographic he relied on in 2020 to achieve narrow victory in Wisconsin.
While Harris said she would not support an arms embargo on Israel, she told reporters on July 24 she would “not be silent” about suffering in Gaza after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During the DNC Thursday night, the vice president expressed Biden’s “unwavering commitment” to Israel but also emphasized the importance of ending the war, saying Palestinians in Gaza have the right to “freedom, dignity and self-determination” during her acceptance speech at the DNC Thursday night.
She said she “will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”
Abortion has been a significant issue for the Democrats since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion in June 2022. Harris has continually called to restore protections previously guaranteed under Roe v. Wade.
The August Marquette Law School poll found that 27% of Wisconsin Democrats declared abortion as their most important issue in deciding who to vote for, the highest percentage among the poll’s eight options.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion has been a winning issue for Democrats who consistently have won key elections in which abortion access has been on the ballot.
Harris has been a champion for abortion access and reproductive rights throughout her term as vice president. In January, Harris kicked off her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” in Wisconsin as a part of Biden’s reelection effort, where she advocated for abortions rights and for Roe v. Wade to be restored by federal lawmakers.
And since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has also made abortion rights a central issue of her campaign, “unapologetically” mentioning the topic in nearly every speech she makes.
“We trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do,” Harris said during the West Allis rally.
The Supreme Court ruling caused an 1849 state law that banned nearly all abortions in Wisconsin with no exception for rape or incest to go into effect. In response, Wisconsin voters elected liberal-leaning Justice Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2023, tipping the court to a 4-3 liberal majority.
Tim Walz appeals to young voters, represents Midwestern significance for the Democratic campaign
Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate earlier this month. Walz is in his second term as governor and previously served 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Walz has proven to be favorable with progressive Minnesotans. As governor, Walz signed legislation that legalized recreational marijuana, adopted paid family leave, codified abortion as a “fundamental right” and tightened gun laws. In 2019, Walz also signed an executive order creating a climate change sub-cabinet within his administration.
Republicans have criticized Walz for the way he handled Minneapolis protests in May 2020 after a police officer murdered George Floyd. As protests grew increasingly violent, the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, asked Walz to deploy the National Guard. Walz did not follow through with Frey’s request until the next afternoon, when many Republicans felt it was too late.
Walz’s life before politics is proving to be a crucial aspect of his campaign for vice president. Walz has played up his career as a teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota where he became the first faculty sponsor for his school’s Gay Straight Alliance and led his football team to a state championship.
The governor used his unconventional background to his advantage, characterizing himself as “Coach Walz” during the DNC. Ben Ingram, a former football player for Walz, introduced the Minnesota Governor at the convention. Walz leaned into his coaching tone, creating a sense of urgency to the audience to put in the work and win the election.
“We’ve got 76 days [left in the election],” Walz told the convention crowd Wednesday. “That's nothing. There’ll be time to sleep when you’re dead.”
Minnesota is not considered a battleground state, but Democrats hope Walz’s background as a well-liked educator and championship coach will still add appeal to the ticket for Midwestern and young voters, a region and voting bloc that are crucial for winning the election.
Growing enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket has led to increased participation and interest in Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-founded political organization that endorsed Harris’ campaign on July 21. Jessica Siles, the group’s deputy press secretary, told the Cardinal that Voters of Tomorrow received more volunteer applications in the three days after Harris’ announcement to run for president than in the previous two months.
“Young people were looking for ways to get involved and support this campaign,” Siles said. “The energy was directly translating into this political enthusiasm and action.”
Siles said Walz’s ability to uplift younger generations throughout his teaching and coaching career will directly appeal to young voters and their decision in November.
“As an educator that was his job, to educate, engage and empower young students,” Siles said.
Despite the Harris’ campaign seeing a burst in energy in the weeks following Biden’s decision not to seek reelection, the campaign has entered a critical stretch in the race for the Oval Office with the election just a little over 70 days away.
Siles said now more than ever it is time for young people to put in the work to support the Harris-Walz ticket.
“From my perspective, it feels like [Walz] has always had young people’s backs and now it’s time for us to have his,” Siles said.
‘Small advantages’ key to winning Wisconsin and the White House
Wisconsin is an important battleground state in the 2024 election. In 2020, Biden won the state by 0.6% of votes, while Trump had previously won the state by 0.7% in 2016.
University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and Elections Research Center Director Dr. Barry Burden told The Daily Cardinal each candidate will need to seek “small advantages” in this election that will “put them over the top” in Wisconsin.
Both Harris and Trump see Wisconsin’s 10 delegate votes as crucial to winning the election in November. If Harris wins Midwest battleground states Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania while continuing to hold all solidly Democratic states she will win the election in November.
“Modest shifts in voting patterns between 2016 and 2020 allowed Trump to win by a narrow margin and then Biden to win by a narrow margin four years later,” Burden said. “As Wisconsin goes, the national result probably also goes.”
Burden said for Harris to win Wisconsin, the Democrats will need to maximize turnout in Wisconsin’s urban areas and appeal to younger voters and voters of color. Trump, on the other hand, will need to claw back support suburban areas and continue appealing to white voters and voters without college degrees.
In addition to her rally at the Fiserv Forum, Harris visited Eau Claire as part of a five-day campaign tour through swing states and West Allis, near Milwaukee, where she kicked off her presidential campaign. Additionally, Trump has made campaign stops in Green Bay and Racine this year, and in mid-July, he spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
An August Marquette poll shows the two candidates neck-and-neck in Wisconsin, with Trump leading Harris 50% to 49% among registered voters and Harris leading Trump 50% to 49% among likely voters.
Iain Chang is a senior staff writer at The Daily Cardinal covering state news and politics.
