{"id":2326113,"date":"2024-08-18T05:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T09:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-support-dwindles-in-wisconsins-historic-gop-strongholds-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-18T05:22:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T09:22:33","slug":"republican-support-dwindles-in-wisconsins-historic-gop-strongholds-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-support-dwindles-in-wisconsins-historic-gop-strongholds-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican support dwindles in Wisconsin\u2019s historic GOP strongholds &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-support-dwindles-in-wisconsins-historic-gop-strongholds-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2326113&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a notable shift in political dynamics\u200d within Wisconsin&#8217;s historically Republican-dominant suburban \u201cWOW\u201d counties\u2014Waukesha, Ozaukee,\u2063 and Washington. \u200cThese counties have\u200c traditionally supported Republican candidates, \u200dbut recent trends indicate a move towards the Democratic party. Waukesha County, with a population of nearly 400,000, remains\u2064 crucial for Republican victories statewide, yet mounting\u2063 evidence suggests declining support for GOP\u2062 candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, these counties offered a solid Republican base, exemplified during the 2008 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-celebrates-big-win-supreme-court-14th-amendment-ruling\/\" title=\"Trump hails &#039;huge victory&#039; in Supreme Court&#039;s 14th Amendment ruling\">2012 presidential elections<\/a> when GOP candidates saw significant margins of victory. However, recent \u2063elections show a diminishing Republican advantage, particularly in Ozaukee County, once \u2062considered the most Republican in Wisconsin. For instance,\u200b while Donald\u2063 Trump won Washington County\u2062 by nearly 40 points in 2020, his margin in Ozaukee County shrank to just 12 \u200dpoints.<\/p>\n<p>Political analysts, including University of\u200d Wisconsin-Madison Professor \u200bMike Wagner, note \u200cthat changes \u2063in voter demographics\u2062 and priorities, \u200dparticularly\u200b regarding \u200cissues like abortion rights, have influenced this shift. The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 highlighted reproductive rights as a galvanizing issue among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-vowed-to-elect-more-women-they-did-just-that\/\" title=\"Republicans Vowed To Elect More Women...They Did Just That\">suburban women<\/a>,\u2064 and this has resonated in recent elections, including a Supreme Court\u2062 race that saw a\u2062 liberal candidate win\u2063 even in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-exhorts-republicans-to-learn-the-art-of-the-deal-on-abortion\/\" title=\"Trump urges GOP to master &#039;deal-making&#039; on abortion.\">traditionally conservative areas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>while Waukesha\u200b and\u2064 Washington counties remain more strongly Republican, Ozaukee County&#8217;s growing Democratic leanings signal a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftc-expands-its-power-to-penalize-powerful-companies\/\" title=\"FTC Expands Its Power to Penalize Powerful Companies\">shifting political landscape<\/a> \u2063in a region once considered the \u200cbedrock of GOP support in Wisconsin.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Republican support dwindles in Wisconsin&rsquo;s historic GOP strongholds<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1730835\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Wisconsin<\/a>&rsquo;s WOW counties, the suburban counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington outside of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/milwaukee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Milwaukee<\/a>, have been the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican<\/a> epicenters of the state for decades. Trends, however, suggest they may be moving more to the left than they historically have been.<\/p>\n<p>Waukesha is the state&rsquo;s third most populous with nearly 400,000 residents, behind the two most populous counties Milwaukee and Dane, which are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3109389\/milwaukees-mayor-wisconsin-voters-their-vote-counts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democratic strongholds of the state<\/a>. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/2980516\/why-all-eyes-are-on-wisconsin-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Wisconsin&rsquo;s national political relevance<\/a> being so grand in recent elections, Waukesha&rsquo;s status as a Republican stronghold is important if Republicans want to keep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-alleges-cheating-in-wisconsin-redistricting-case-republicans-must-do-something\/\" title=\"Trump claims &#039;cheating&#039; in Wisconsin redistricting case, urges Republicans to take action\">winning statewide elections<\/a> in Wisconsin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of a political joke amongst pundits that it all comes down to Waukesha County, Wisconsin. There is some truth to that &mdash;the turnout is really important for Republicans there. It&rsquo;s really a place that they need,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/journalism.wisc.edu\/news\/staff\/michael-wagner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mike Wagner<\/a>, a professor who focuses on political communication and&nbsp;public opinion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison&rsquo;s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the WOW counties have been the most Republican areas of the state. During the <a href=\"https:\/\/uselectionatlas.org\/RESULTS\/state.php?year=2008&amp;off=0&amp;elect=0&amp;fips=55&amp;f=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2008<\/a> 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&rsquo;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.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, presidential candidate Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitt-romney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mitt Romney<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ozaukee County was the most Republican county in all of Wisconsin in the 1990s but that same time the &lsquo;O&rsquo; in WOW has gone from being the most Republican county to, like the 40 or 44th,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really decreased in its power.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scott-walker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Scott Walker<\/a> was running for governor in 2014, Ozaukee County gave Republicans a more than 40 point margin. While the Republican candidate for governor won Ozaukee County in 2022, it was by 10 or 11 points,&rdquo; Wagner said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker speaks at his campaign party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in West Allis, Wis. Walker defeated Democratic gubernatorial challenger Mary Burke. (AP Photo\/Morry Gash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From 1996 through 2020, no Democratic candidate won even a single municipality, town, or city in these three counties. President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> narrowly flipped the city of Cederburg in Ozaukee County in 2020, highlighting somewhat of a shift in this region.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It used to be that the WOW counties really were lockstep together, and now the O in WOW is disappearing. Washington and Waukesha counties are still strongly Republican, Ozaukee County has been shifting more to the Democrats,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;WOW is losing its wow factor in a way.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Washington County is becoming the most Republican of the three counties. Trump won Washington County by almost 40 points in 2020, but only won Ozaukee County by 12, far down from Romney&rsquo;s nearly 30-point win there in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>As former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> leans into right-wing populism, his message is becoming more popular in rural areas of the state than it is with the the more traditional areas the Republican Party has been strong in. Former speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paul-ryan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Paul Ryan<\/a>&rsquo;s district used to encompass parts of Waukesha County and he was vastly popular with these counties.<\/p>\n<p>Now, as Ryan and other conservatives like Romney step away from the party, these counties seemingly are, too.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When Trump first ran for president in 2016 in the Wisconsin primary, Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin primary, not Trump,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;After it was pretty clear Trump was going to be the nominee, and so lots of Republicans just were not wild about him, but once he became the party&rsquo;s nominee, they got blind and voted for him.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But after seeing him as president, some of those voters could not pull the lever for him again and voted for Biden,&rdquo; Wagner continued.<\/p>\n<p>Reproductive rights and abortion has also been a driving factor for suburban women in recent elections, not just in the Milwaukee suburbs, but nationwide. Wagner credited some of the political shift to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>abortion<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a huge issue, and it&rsquo;s really been highlighted in voting in the state Supreme Court,&rdquo; Wagner said. He pointed to the fact that Wisconsin voters actually vote for Wisconsin Supreme Court justices instead of justices being appointed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the last two Supreme Court races in the state, campaigns have focused on abortion because after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion was briefly outlawed in Wisconsin entirely. <\/p>\n<p>In the state&rsquo;s 2023 supreme court race, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz won and her campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/04\/04\/five-takeaways-from-liberals-big-election-night-win-in-wisconsin-00090519\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>invested<\/a> heavily not only in Dane and Milwaukee counties, but also the WOW counties. Once again, Ozaukee county shifted slightly as her opponent, conservative Daniel Kelly, won the county by just five percentage points, as compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mitt_Romney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mitt Romney<\/a>&lsquo;s 30-point win in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Voting habits in the 2024 primaries in the WOW counties also indicate a leftward shift. This month, Wisconsin voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3121214\/wisconsin-voters-reject-two-measures-that-would-have-decreased-governors-spending-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rejected two GOP-backed ballot questions<\/a> aimed at decreasing the spending power of the governor. Democrats waged a campaign urging Wisconsinites to vote &ldquo;no,&rdquo; which ultimately paid off as they did not pass.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the WOW counties, the &ldquo;yes&rdquo; vote for these questions got only 50% of the vote in Ozaukee County and 57% of the vote in Waukesha County. Ten years earlier, Walker was reelected with more than 70% of the vote in Waukesha and Ozaukee counties in 2014.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&rsquo;t a primary fluke either as the primary also had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/wisconsin-election-turnout-senate-24ac974d995a286fb79eb9a277e8435e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>record turnout<\/a>, with 26% of those voting aged or higher in the state voting, the highest in 60 years for a presidential year partisan primary.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1730835\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1730835\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Support for Republicans is declining in Wisconsin&#8217;s traditional GOP strongholds. The WOW counties\u2014Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington\u2014located in the suburbs outside Milwaukee, have long been bastions of Republicanism. However, recent trends indicate a shift towards more liberal views in these areas. Waukesha County, with nearly 400,000 residents, ranks as the third most populous county in Wisconsin after Democratic strongholds Milwaukee and Dane. Given Wisconsin&#8217;s significant role in national politics during recent elections, maintaining Republican dominance in Waukesha is crucial for statewide electoral success.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Wagner, a political communication expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, noted that pundits often joke that winning depends on Waukesha County due to its critical voter turnout for Republicans. Historically known as solidly Republican territory\u2014especially during past elections like Obama&#8217;s 2008 campaign when he struggled to gain traction there\u2014the WOW counties are now showing signs of change. For instance, while Mitt Romney secured over 64% of votes in Ozaukee County during the 2012 election\u2014a county once considered the most Republican\u2014it has since seen a decline in support.<\/p>\n<p>Wagner pointed out that Ozaukee County has dropped significantly from its peak Republican status and highlighted how Scott Walker\u2019s gubernatorial campaign saw a much larger margin of victory there compared to more recent elections where margins have tightened considerably.<\/p>\n<p>From 1996 until 2020, no Democratic candidate had won any municipalities within these three counties; however, President Biden managed to flip Cedarburg city during the last election cycle\u2014a sign of shifting political dynamics. While Washington County remains strongly Republican (Trump won it by nearly 40 points), Ozaukee&#8217;s support for Trump decreased significantly compared to previous years.<\/p>\n<p>As former conservative figures like Paul Ryan step back from active politics and Trump&#8217;s populist approach gains traction among rural voters rather than traditional GOP bases like Waukesha and Ozaukee Counties\u2014which were once staunchly loyal\u2014the landscape appears to be changing.<\/p>\n<p>Issues such as reproductive rights have also influenced suburban women\u2019s voting patterns recently; this trend is evident not only locally but across the nation as well. Wagner emphasized abortion&#8217;s impact on voting behavior following changes brought about by Roe v. Wade being overturned last year.<\/p>\n<p>In recent state Supreme Court races focused heavily on abortion issues\u2014with liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz winning after campaigning vigorously across all WOW counties\u2014even traditionally solid areas like Ozaukee showed signs of shifting allegiances with much narrower margins than before.<\/p>\n<p>The results from this month&#8217;s primaries further illustrate this leftward movement: two GOP-backed ballot measures aimed at reducing gubernatorial spending power were rejected by voters after Democrats campaigned against them successfully; only half supported one measure in Ozaukee while just over half did so in Waukesha\u2014significantly lower than previous years when Walker enjoyed overwhelming support here.<\/p>\n<p>Overall voter engagement was notably high too\u2014with record turnout indicating an evolving political climate within these historically reliable GOP regions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2910,"featured_media":2326114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wisconsin-wow-counties.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[38415,6203,5894,3911,4124],"class_list":["post-2326113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-election-trends","tag-gop","tag-politics","tag-republican","tag-wisconsin"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wisconsin-wow-counties.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2326113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2326114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2326113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2326113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2326113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}