Obama Wins Wisconsin
CBS, Fox, and NBC all have announced that Barack Obama is projected to win the state of Wisconsin.
This isn’t considered much of a surprise as the president was leading the in the state for the entirety of the election season. Mitt Romney had attempted to gain support by choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, but the decision did little to change public opinion.
The state provides the president with an important 10 electoral college votes and puts Romney in the hot seat, with the number of swing states left to win quickly diminishing.
Wisconsin Prediction
The election is on Tuesday and the eyes of the nation will be on the swing states who will determine the next president of the United States.
Wisconsin has 10 crucial electoral-college votes, and all signs point to President Obama winning those votes.
Obama has been leading the polls in the Badger State since the Republican Primaries ended. Mitt Romney attempted to close a widening gap by choose Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. The strategy worked for a bit, the Obama’s lead continued to surge.
The debates changed the polls dramatically in Wisconsin. While Obama was averaging a nearly seven point lead for months, Romney’s performance in the debates managed to cut the president’s lead to two points.
While the race is definitely closer than it was before, Romney still has a big slope to climb. He hasn’t been in the state since August and there is very little time left to hold a rally now. And Wisconsin has a reputation of voting for Democrats. The state has not chosen a Republican candidate since Ronald Regan in 1984.
Wisconsin Senate Race Heating Up
It’s easy to forget in a presidential election that voters are faced with more than just one choice.
One of those choices in Wisconsin is the race for the Senate. The race features Democrat Tammy Baldwin and Republican Tommy Thompson.
Both candidates have plenty of experience. Baldwin is a former congresswomen for the Badger State, and Thompson is a former governor.
The election has been a roller coaster according to Real Clear Politics. Thompson has had a firm command of the polls for much of the race. In September however, Baldwin took the lead and has kept it to this day.
The election is too close to call at this point with Real Clear giving Baldwin an edge of just over one point.
Democrats Push for Ads in Wisconsin
With Super Storm Sandy all but finished, both political parties have begun campaigning again. And according to CNN, the Democrats are focusing more on ads in Wisconsin than Republicans are.
CNN’s campaign-tracker is reporting that President Barack Obama has spent nearly 7.18 million dollars in ads for the Badger State, dwarfing Mitt Romney’s 3.95 million spent. And very few of the ads bring a positive message. One hundred percent of Obama’s messages are negative attacks against the GOP candidate. Romney doesn’t do much better with 93 percent of his ads attacking Obama.
There isn’t much left to do in Wisconsin except use ads. Both candidates canceled their visits to the state this week due to the weather. And with the election only a few days away, it is doubtful that either Romney or Obama will get another chance to visit.
Sandy Forces Candididates to Cancel Wisconsin Trips
Super Storm Sandy has forced Mitt Romney and Barack Obama to cancel their trips to Wisconsin this week.
Obama was scheduled to visit today, but stayed in Washington to monitor the storm as it hit the East Coast. Instead, the North Western has reported that Bill Clinton will visit the Badger State.
Romney was supposed to make a stop in Milwaukee on Monday, but chose not to out of respect for those affected by the then hurricane. His running mate Paul Ryan will stop in his home state on Wednesday to campaign and trick-or-treat with his children.
The canceling could prove fatal for Romney in Wisconsin as he still trails Obama in many major polls according to Real Clear Politics.
Wisconsin Newspapers Remain Silent
With the election looming, major newspapers have begun endorsing candidates. But the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel have yet to say anything.
The State Journal has yet to make a decision, but the Journal Sentinel will not choose a candidate this year.
“When I was appointed editorial page editor nearly two years ago, I pledged that our pages would be ‘fiercely independent’ and that we would ‘offer a marketplace of ideas,”’ writes Editorial Page Editor David D. Haynes. “That’s what we have tried to do. And that’s why we have decided that the editorial board should get out of the political endorsement business. We will analyze key races this fall, but we will not make recommendations.”
Both newspapers endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.
Wisconsin Concerned With Other Problems
The polls have yet to change in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin, with President Obama leading by a slim margin. But with recent problems in the state, it seems citizens are hardly giving any thought to the election at all.
Wisconsin’s headlines are still dominated by the story of a man who entered a spa and shot three women dead, while injuring another four. A story by The Huffington Post says that the shooting has sparked not only local, but national attention about the necessity of background checks for gun buyers.
Like the rest of the nation, Wisconsin has also suffered from a drought this season. According to wtaq.com, “95.9 percent of the state’s land area is still abnormally dry or worse.” The website did say that drought conditions have improved slightly over the week.
JSonline.com also reported today that Wisconsin ranks seventhin the country for deer-vehicle related accidents, which has raised some serious conversations about safe driving.
Candidates Bombard Wisconsin Voters with Ads
President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Romney may not have a physical presence in Wisconsin, but that hasn’t stopped them spreading their messages.
According to a story from the Wisconsin State Journal, citizens have been receiving waves of letters and emails hoping to sway undecided voters. A customer service rep from Wisconsin told the Journal that she doesn’t even read the letters before throwing them in the garbage. “It’s just too overwhelming,” she said. “It’s too much — from all sides.”
Letters and emails aren’t the only way candidates are reaching out to voters. JSOnline.com has reported that Wisconsin is one of several swing states that will see a commercial which features Clint Eastwood in support of Romney. The ad claims that America “couldn’t survive” four more years of Obama.
Despite the heavy campaigning, Obama still holds a slim lead over Romney in the polls according to an average conducted by Real Clear Politics.
Swing States Today: Oct. 24
With the debates finished and the election two weeks away, President Obama and Gov. Romney can now turn their focus on to making one final push in the swing states.
Romney and Ryan visited Nevada yesterday and both candidates have been launching commercials in many different states, including Iowa which is almost too close to call.
The polls are closer than ever, but it will still take a few days before there is any significant feedback from Monday night’s debate.
Romney has cut the gap in many states and even took the lead in Florida overnight. He also has a lead in New Hampshire and North Carolina; however the Obama Campaign says it will not give up on any of the states that the President is losing.
Obama still has a slight lead in many swing states including Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Colorado.
Look for heavier campaigning in swing states over the next two weeks.
Shooting Sparks New Issue in the Fight for Wisconsin
Gun control is a topic that has been skimmed over, but not fully covered by the presidential candidates. A recent mass-shooting in Wisconsin has potential to change that.
On Sunday, Radcliffe Franklin Haughton killed three people and injured four more when he went into a spa and opened fire with his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. He fled the scene and killed himself later that day.
According a story by the NY Daily News, Haughton’s wife had just secured a restraining order against him on Thursday, and Haughton was required to hand over all firearms in 48 hours or face arrest. Police did not say if he did.
Haughton reportedly bought the gun he used for the shooting on Sunday from a private owner on Saturday. Police say the seller did nothing illegal because private owners are not required to do the same state-mandatory background checks that a licensed gun dealer is.
This news has compelled Wisconsin Sen. Lena Taylor to demand a better enforcement of gun laws. “Across Wisconsin there are inconsistent standards, or sometimes none at all, for the collection of weapons owned by domestic abusers,” she said Monday.
Both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have beenfairly quiet on the issue of gun control. Both candidates stated in the second debate that they are not in favor of any new legislation, but insist that a better job must be done in enforcing the laws that are already in place. They also want to do a better job at preventing assault weapons of the street.
This similarity may pose a problem for both candidates as gun control may become a bigger issue for Wisconsin voters than previously expected.
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