close
close

houdoebrabant

NL News 2024

    • What Wisconsin Voters Think About Biden’s Exit and Harris as Nominee
    powertid

    What Wisconsin Voters Think About Biden’s Exit and Harris as Nominee

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    Outside the Fiserv Forum, where Republicans last week delivered a message of unity and rallied around former President Donald Trump, two young voters on Sunday afternoon digested the news that President Joe Biden was withdrawing, upending the presidential race.

    Lucian Tash, 19, of South Carolina and Wynn Grame, 22, of Milwaukee, prefer Biden over Trump. They like Biden’s policies to reduce student debt, but his debate performance last month was “tough to watch.”

    Vice President Kamala Harris, who has endorsed Biden, “is the most well-known Democratic figure, so it makes sense to go with her. I don’t think she’s the strongest candidate,” Tash said. “I think other Democrats would probably do better if they were more well-known.”

    Grame said he likes Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but “a lot of the candidates they’re putting forward, I don’t really know who they are. At this point, it would be too late to build a whole candidacy.”

    “I personally think Kamala is a safe bet, probably just stick with her,” Tash said. “But it’s going to be a tough race.”

    Harris had planned to visit Milwaukee on Tuesday, potentially as the new Democratic nominee. Her landmark visit to the swing state was news to Tash and Grame, however.

    More: Biden’s withdrawal puts Kamala Harris’ planned Tuesday visit to Milwaukee in focus

    A few blocks away, outside Mader’s Restaurant, Penny Webb of Kentucky first heard the news. She was on a plane to attend a Green Bay Packers stockholders meeting.

    “Biden dropping out was a smart move and his counsel advised him well, because he can’t even call his vice president by her name,” said Webb, who typically votes Republican. “I’m curious to see who the Democratic nominee is going to be … whoever they choose will be a big indicator of how this race goes.”

    Madison voters back Harris, but propose alternative candidates

    In Madison, a major Democratic center like Milwaukee, voters in the streets around the Capitol were shocked by the news but said they would support Harris.

    “Holy shit. Are you serious?” said Elizabeth Manger, 52, of Milwaukee. “I’m stunned right now.”

    Madison Rep. Gerald Sternberg said Biden’s decision to step down was the ultimate act “of patriotism and civility” and that he will build on his legacy. He is ready to throw his support behind Harris and expects other delegates to follow suit.

    “She’s a prosecutor, he’s a criminal. She speaks beautifully about reproductive rights for women. She’s going to bring together people of color, women, men, all Democrats and many independents and even some Republican women in support of our campaign,” Sternberg said.

    Not everyone is happy with this choice.

    “It’s a giant fucking eye roll for me,” said Kyle Konop, 43, of Madison. “The press is bored to tears with this rehash of the election, and they want their shiny chaos convention, and I really, really hope they don’t get it.”

    While he plans to support Harris, he said people had forgotten the support Biden enjoyed within the Black community and among older voters, two groups he said Democrats “have been absolutely wonderful at taking for granted every step of the way.”

    Despite their uncertainty about the timing of the change, voters said Trump is beatable.

    Lary Sheffert, a Michigan voter in Madison over the weekend, said it’s “time” to replace Biden. He is a registered Republican and would have voted for Nikki Haley if she had been the GOP nominee, but voted Democratic in 2016 and 2020 and plans to do so again in November.

    He thinks Harris can win, especially if Trump keeps up the “same idiotic” rhetoric about January 6 and election lies. “It’s not my Republican Party anymore. It’s a bunch of clowns now, like a bunch of lemmings following Trump.”

    More: Joe Biden came to Madison, Wisconsin, to bolster his presidential campaign. Here’s what voters had to say.

    When asked about Harris’ pick for VP, names mentioned included U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former first lady Michelle Obama.

    “Probably a white male from the South or the Midwest,” Konop said. “Politically, she’s probably way too black and too female to get away with anything other than a white male.”

    Harris could mobilize key groups of Democratic voters

    Christine Neumann-Ortiz, director of the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, is confident that Biden’s decision to step down will mobilize key parts of the party that had been concerned about Biden’s ability to act as a powerful messenger.

    Neumann-Ortiz said voters Voces works with are generally dissatisfied with the Democratic Party because of its limited changes in immigration law.

    Since early 2024, Neumann-Ortiz said, organizers have been working to remind people of the gains made under the Biden-Harris administration.

    With Harris at the top, the party has an opportunity to energize women voters, young people and underrepresented and marginalized populations who are most concerned about issues like abortion and immigration, Neumann-Ortiz added.

    “The stakes are high for this election. I think it’s ultimately a good choice, but I think the threat of the Trump administration overshadows everything.”

    Critics of Biden’s handling of the war still want details

    For months, Janan Najeeb, an organizer with Listen to Wisconsin and co-chair of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, has advocated for Biden to withdraw from the race over his administration’s financial support for the war in Gaza.

    Najeeb joined more than 48,000 voters in Wisconsin who cast unsolicited ballots in the April primary because of their dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the war. The protest followed efforts in states like Michigan and Minnesota, where large swaths of eligible voters cast ballots as “non-committed.”

    “For someone who became known as ‘Genocide Joe,’ the odds of him winning were slim to none,” Najeeb said. “That was very painful for a lot of us who absolutely did not want to see a Trump presidency, because that would be horrible too.”

    Najeeb said there is a good chance that more voters will identify with the Democratic ticket because of Biden’s support for Harris, but that they will still wait for policy initiatives to end the war.

    “We are not naive to believe that something will happen just because someone says something,” she said.

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like