Ultra-Red Wisconsin County Struggles With Trump
For all of the bluster and braggadocio and beyond the theater all of Trump’s support among conservatives is very soft. Reporters will answer that with “well so is Hillary’s!”, — however even while carrying the negative baggage that the press won’t let her leave behind, her “soft” voters do not have the problem that Trump’s squishy voters do.
Trump’s voters secretly want to vote for Hillary for several reasons: because of her foreign service skills, because of her strong positions in defense. and because she won’t rock the markets. Under their bluster lies their conservatism, and conservatism doesn’t like change. Trump is scary to them and Hillary isn’t, and most of them make decisions advised by their fears.
Four years ago, Waukesha produced more GOP votes per capita than any county its size in America. The landslides it generates are indispensable to the party in statewide elections.
Its presidential turnout in 2012 was nearly unmatched: 83% of voting-age citizens went to the polls. In Wisconsin, “Waukesha” is synonymous with Republican solidarity and electoral clout.
But Trump is badly underperforming here, according to polling this summer by the Marquette Law School. He is running 15 points behind his party’s U.S. Senate candidate, incumbent Ron Johnson. Combining four surveys from June to late August, Trump led Clinton by just 45% to 32% in Waukesha — with more than one in five voters refusing to express a preference.
This is a county that President George W. Bush won by 35 points in 2004, Mitt Romney won by 34 points in 2012 and GOP Gov. Scott Walker won by 46 points in 2014.
More: Ultra-red Wisconsin county struggles with Trump