In a dramatic display of political rivalry, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump held competing rallies within miles of each other in Milwaukee, a state both parties see as pivotal in the upcoming election. Harris and Trump took aim at each other in heated speeches Friday night, hoping to sway voters in Wisconsin, a battleground state where elections are often decided by razor-thin margins.
“Both candidates recognize that the road to the White House runs directly through Milwaukee County,” stated Hilario Deleon, chair of the county’s Republican Party, underlining the region’s significance. Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, leans heavily Democratic, but the surrounding suburbs are Republican strongholds—a divide both candidates aimed to capitalize on.
Milwaukee: The Last Stand for Swing-State Votes
The rallies were a high-stakes gamble in a state where past elections have been determined by margins of less than a single percentage point. In 2020, Milwaukee’s absentee ballots turned the tide in favor of President Joe Biden after initial results favored Trump. This year, both Harris and Trump understand that mobilizing Milwaukee’s urban vote and holding sway in its suburbs could tip Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes.
Harris, who landed minutes before Trump at Milwaukee’s airport, headed first to Janesville, where she courted union support. “Nobody understands better than a union member that as Americans, we all rise or fall together,” Harris told a packed hall of union workers. She later attacked Trump’s record on healthcare, accusing him of trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. “This is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge,” Harris told the enthusiastic crowd.
Meanwhile, Trump took to the stage in downtown Milwaukee, where he framed the Biden-Harris administration as a failure on economic grounds, citing a meager October jobs report and the impact of recent hurricanes and strikes on employment numbers. “This is like a depression,” Trump claimed, dismissing Harris’s critiques and accusing the current administration of stifling economic growth.
High-Profile Supporters and Personal Attacks
Harris’s final rally featured performances by Cardi B, GloRilla, and Flo Milli in a star-studded appeal to younger voters in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis. Cardi B didn’t shy away from addressing Trump directly, referencing his comments about protecting women: “Donny, don’t. Please,” she quipped, to cheers from the crowd. Harris also criticized Trump’s stance on women’s rights and accused him of trying to “roll back reproductive freedoms.”
Across town, Trump’s rally drew a fervent crowd, many wearing reflective vests as a tongue-in-cheek response to Biden’s past comment referring to some Trump supporters as “garbage.” Trump seized on this, suggesting Democrats don’t respect working-class Americans. “They call you garbage,” he told supporters, tapping into resentment and vowing to “protect American jobs” from policies he claimed hurt the middle class.
The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
Wisconsin’s importance is underscored by how frequently both candidates have campaigned there—Harris has made nine stops in the state, while Trump has made ten. Harris’s emphasis on Milwaukee, home to the state’s largest Black population, reflects Democrats’ awareness of the need to boost turnout among urban and minority voters. “Especially given 2016, I think it’s clear Dems learned lessons about the importance of Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole,” said Angela Lang, head of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities in Milwaukee.
Republicans, meanwhile, are focusing on suburbs and rural areas. Brian Schimming, chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, claimed that Harris’s need to return to Milwaukee showed that Democrats are on the defensive. “We’re on offense,” he declared, predicting a resurgence of support for Trump in the state.
A Tradition of Tight Races
The Milwaukee Election Commission anticipates over 100,000 absentee ballots this year, but the early returns favor the Republican-leaning suburbs, indicating that both campaigns may be in for a long night on Election Day. Mandela Barnes, former lieutenant governor and president of Power to the Polls, expressed both optimism and concern, stating, “If they don’t turn out, then we’re in a world of trouble.”
The contrasting styles and messages of the two candidates left Milwaukee residents divided. Democrats, energized by high-profile endorsements and a strong get-out-the-vote effort, hope to replicate their 2020 success. Trump supporters, fueled by resentment over Biden’s comments and a sense of economic disenfranchisement, remain hopeful about reclaiming Wisconsin.
With Election Day just days away, the outcome in Wisconsin remains anyone’s guess. Will Harris’s appeals to unions and urban voters secure Democratic hopes, or will Trump’s base of rural and suburban voters once again pull off a last-minute victory?
Sources for this article include:
Reports from AP, Milwaukee Election Commission estimates, and statements from local political organizers and party representatives.
