President Joe Biden must make frequent visits to battleground Wisconsin if he hopes to win it in November, the state’s Democratic governor said.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton famously failed to visit Wisconsin during her 2016 campaign for president.
Gov. Tony Evers said Biden should visit the state and focus his message on his successes and issues that matter to the middle class, not just the argument that the fate of democracy is at stake.
And while the 81-year-old Biden’s age is “of course” a concern, Gov. Tony Evers said he can win by showing younger voters why they should care.
“I think democracy is on the line, but we also have to recognize what a great job he has done on infrastructure issues and other things,” Evers told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday, mentioning work to replace lead pipes. “He needs to be here, simple as that.”
Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point, making the state one of a small number that could go either way in November. Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020 by fewer than 21,000 votes, less than 1 percentage point of all votes cast. That came after Trump narrowly won the state by a similar margin in 2016.
Biden has been a frequent visitor to Wisconsin, making seven stops over the first three years of his presidency, most recently on Dec. 20 in Democratic-heavy Milwaukee. Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to kick off a series of nationwide events focused on abortion rights in Wisconsin on Jan. 22, the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Democrats focused on fighting to restore abortion rights in winning campaigns across the country, including Evers’ reelection in Wisconsin. Polls have shown broad, bipartisan support for legalized abortion in Wisconsin.
But the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, released in November, shows that 79% of registered voters said “too old to be president” describes Biden very well or somewhat well, compared with 51% for Trump. Biden and Trump were running about even in the poll.
Evers, 72, said he thinks younger voters can support Biden, despite his age. Trump is 77.
“I believe if younger voters see what has happened because of Joe Biden being president, they are going to be supportive of him,” Evers said. “Can he magically become 50 years old? No.”
Evers predicted a “high energy” campaign but was confident that voters will be able to cast their ballots without disruption or violence. He said normal preparations were underway at the state and local levels to ensure a smooth election.
“I think it’s going to be fine,” he said.
There have been attempts in some states to bar Trump from the ballot because of his actions during the Jan. 6 riot.
Removing Trump wouldn’t “solve anything because, at the end of the day, I think the U.S. Supreme Court is going to say, ‘We’re going to let the people decide,’” Evers said.
“Do I think that he has done things that make Donald Trump disqualified?” Evers said. “Yeah, but then people can vote against him.”
The Associated Press contribtued to this article.