United Mates: Voters in Hobart, Wisconsin, rate Donald Trump and Kamala Harris before US election
Wisconsin is a central brick in the Democratic Party’s ‘blue wall’. But will Donald Trump be able to bring it crashing down on Kamala Harris? Meet the people he’ll have to persuade.
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If Donald Trump is to return to the White House, he will have to crush Kamala Harris this November in places like Hobart, Wisconsin.
The state in America’s Midwest – known for its beer and cheese – is a central brick in the Democratic Party’s so-called “blue wall” that helped Joe Biden overcome Mr Trump in 2020.
But of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, the President only won the popular vote in 14 of them, running up such big numbers in cities like Milwaukee and Madison that he was able to hang on by barely 20,000 votes despite his Republican predecessor dominating in rural areas.
It is a mathematical balancing act repeated in battleground states across the US. And with less than three months until the election, the signs are looking good for Mr Trump in Hobart.
Because unlike its twin in Tasmania – a state also known for its beer and cheese – this village of 10,000 people is as conservative as they come. Indeed, in our time in Hobart, the only definite vote we found for the Vice President was a mum passing through from Chicago.
That is not to say, however, that Hobartians love the former president. As he contests his third election, Mr Trump’s baggage – from extramarital affairs to criminal charges and even a felony conviction – are weighing heavily on the village’s more religious residents.
Standing among the perennial flowers at his nursery, lifelong Republican Leo Bordeleau demurs when asked why he is voting for the 78-year-old.
“It’s not him as much as the platform of the party,” he says. “I just feel the Republican platform aligns with my Christian faith much more so than the Democratic Party. I’m basically voting party as opposed to individual, because I have some reservations as many people do.”
Sitting in the shade with her friends at a nearby park, retired nurse Caron Kahkola shares her feelings. She says Mr Trump is not “the perfect candidate” and the criminal cases against him have caused “much trepidation” for her.
“I feel disappointed in his personal life many times, and his impulsive speech bothers me,” Ms Kahkola adds. “But I could never vote for the other ticket because of pro-life issues.”
Back in 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion, stoking a political fight that has so far favoured Democrats promising pro-choice policies. At last month’s Republican convention – which was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s biggest city – Mr Trump pulled the party’s longstanding commitment to a national abortion ban from its platform.
Mr Bordeleau was not thrilled with the decision, but he says he understands that Republicans are trying not to lose the support of more progressive female voters.
For Jenny Hopkins, the Chicago mother-of-two who is passing through Hobart, that changes nothing.
Women’s rights are crucial to her, and she is excited to cast her ballot for Ms Harris – far more than she was for Mr Biden – because it is “kind of embarrassing” that the US has never elected a female president.
Of course, Ms Hopkins will be voting in Illinois, a Democratic stronghold that is all but certain to favour the Vice President. Hobartians know their ballots are even more important.
“I don’t believe anybody’s vote counts more than someone else’s,” says Daniel Diederich, “but mine might have a more outsized impact.”
The fourth-generation dairy farmer voted for a third-party candidate four years ago. He is considering doing the same in November, unless he can “decide I don’t like (Ms Harris)”.
“To me, if I vote third-party, it’s a protest vote,” Mr Diederich says. “If it would have been Trump and Biden again, I would have gone third-party, for sure.”
Speaking in a barn where eight robots are milking 540 cows, Mr Diederich says inflation has made life difficult for him, blaming both the current and former presidents for splurging too much money. Economic policies will determine his vote, although while Mr Trump senses an opportunity here, the farmer will never support him after the deadly events of January 6.
“He lost the election. When you lose … you take the legal route of challenging if you think there was a problem, and then you tip your hat to the other person,” Mr Diederich says.
“I understand how people like to push that stuff aside and say it doesn’t matter, but to me, it does and I won’t forget it – ever.”
Across town, Chris Coopman doesn’t want to talk about this or any of the other controversies surrounding Mr Trump. While he walks his dog Oakley, he simply says that he is voting for the celebrity billionaire because “he runs the country more like a business”.
William Larson – who is watching his dogs Eli and Rhythm compete in a dog show – feels the same way as he complains about spending a fortune on petrol and food under Mr Biden.
Asked about the Democratic argument that Mr Trump is a threat to democracy, he replies: “He’s a saviour of democracy … Nobody has ever been hammered as much as he has.”
For Gabe Foth and Jackson Chandler, the drama around Mr Trump is all they have known. They were both aged 10 when he won in 2016, and this year, they will vote for the first time.
The high school graduates, chatting between holes on a Hobart disc golf course, say they aren’t convinced politicians are doing enough to tackle the issues that matter to them.
The cost of living is a high priority, and Mr Foth says he will likely follow his family’s lead and vote for the Republican. Mr Chandler wants to do more research, saying he is not convinced about Mr Trump even though he would “love to go golfing and have a few beers with him”.
“There’s a lot of controversy over him,” Mr Foth chimes in. “Don’t know if it’s true or not … I think that what he wants is good, but his execution, that might not be as good.”
Back at the park, Ms Kahkola is saying her prayers.
“I pray for the election, that it will be not damaged in any way,” she says. “I pray that people with good consciences will get out and vote.”
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Originally published as United Mates: Voters in Hobart, Wisconsin, rate Donald Trump and Kamala Harris before US election
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