Trump to make 1st-ever Dane Co. visit, seeks to 'move the needle' in Democratic stronghold
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Former President Donald Trump will make his first visit to Dane County Tuesday, a liberal stronghold that Republican strategists have urged the campaign to not ignore this election.
Trump will visit Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee Tuesday afternoon. His remarks are scheduled for 1:30 p.m., according to the campaign.
It will mark the first time in nearly 30 years a Republican presidential candidate has visited the deep blue county. GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole visited Madison in 1996 before his defeat to President Bill Clinton.
Bill McCoshen, a Republican strategist, stressed how crucial Trump's visit will be as Republicans try to reduce Democratic votes across Dane County.
"A Republican doesn't have to win here to be successful statewide, but they can't get crushed," McCoshen said. "They have to compete for every single vote and I'm glad Trump is willing to do that."
Waunakee leans more conservative and it's one of many regions of Dane County Republicans are targeting this election. Dane County holds the third-largest share of GOP voters in the state.
Brandon Maly, chair of the Dane County Republican Party, believes they can "move the needle."
"The last 10 to 15 years the party has left a giant void in Dane County," Maly said. "It's our job to get people to understand that their vote counts in Dane County just as much as anywhere else in the state."
"Dane County Republicans can make or break the presidential election."
Maly said Trump needs at least 25% of the vote in Dane County to win the state. The last presidential election a Republican candidate reached that was in 2012, when Mitt Romney received 27.5% in Dane County.
McCoshen said there's room for improvement, especially after a "disappointing" 2022 midterm.
Tim Michels, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, lost statewide after receiving 20.7%, or 62,300 votes, in Dane County. Meanwhile, his opponent, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, took 78.6%.
However, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, who was elected to another six-year term, won his contest statewide by 1%, with over 68,228 votes, or 22.7%, in Dane County.
"I think Trump is telling the national audience that I'm going into the belly of the beast to compete in the hard areas to turn out the Republican voters," McCoshen said.
Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Madison where she spoke to more than 10,000 supporters at the Alliant Energy Center coliseum.
Trump to Campaign in Milwaukee
From Waunakee, Trump will make his way to another Democratic stronghold with an event in Milwaukee Tuesday evening. It will occur just hours before the vice-presidential debate.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be in Milwaukee the same day to campaign for his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The stops follow a series of campaign events by the Harris campaign with surrogates flooding the state last week.
On Sunday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer headlined a reproductive rights bus tour in Waukesha and Green Bay.