Donald Trump, Doug Emhoff to campaign in Wisconsin today; live updates

Former president Donald Trump returns to Wisconsin Tuesday with campaign stops in Dane County and Milwaukee. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is also expected to hold an event in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon on behalf of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

Trump will deliver remarks at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee, about 13 miles north of Madison, at 1:30 pm He’ll then speak at Discovery World, a science museum along Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee at 5 pm The visit comes days after his last Wisconsin stop, Saturday in Prairie du Chien.

The specifics of Emhoff’s event haven’t yet been announced. Harris last held a rally in Wisconsin Sept. 20 inMadison.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is providing live updates below. Refresh your browser for the latest:

In a statement released Tuesday morning, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said “I know Wisconsin families, and they’re going to reject (Trump) again in November.”

“As president, Donald Trump was a disaster for Wisconsin, and we haven’t forgotten. A second term would be a heck of a lot worse – Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda would hurt working families, cut Social Security and Medicare, dismantle support for public education across the country, and more,” Evers said. “Vice President Harris is the only candidate in this race fighting to lower costs, cut taxes, and invest in Wisconsin’s future.”

— Hope Karnopp

In a statement, Wisconsin press secretary for Trump’s campaign Jacob Fischer said “no visit from Doug Emhoff can conceal the reality that the dangerously liberal Harris-Walz agenda will be one that Wisconsinites simply can’t afford.”

“Emhoff has stood on the sidelines for four years of failure, and it’s time to retire his Second Gentleman title. President Trump and JD Vance will lower taxes, empower our businesses, and put hardworking Americans first, while Harris and Walz advance dangerously liberal policies and bankrupt our country,” Fischer said.

— Hope Karnopp

Where should former president Donald Trump’s next Wisconsin rally be? U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson weighs in

Republican former Gov. Tommy Thompson told reporters at Trump’s event in Waunakee he is “so happy” the former president honored his request to visit Dane County.

In an interview last month on WISN-TV’s “Upfront,” Thompson said he told Trump during his August rally in La Crosse that in order to win Wisconsin, he’ll have to compete in the liberal strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee counties — areas that have rarely been a focus for Republican candidates.

Thompson, the state’s longest-serving governor, told reporters Tuesday that by campaigning in both counties in one day, the former president will send a message that: “I want your vote. I’m here in Dane County because I’m going to compete for your votes all over the state of Wisconsin.”

Trump lost the village of Waunakee by 28 points in 2020 — about half his losing margin countywide.

— Jessie Opien

Waunakee is located about 13 miles north of Madison, Wisconsin. It’s located in the northern part of Dane County, a county that produces large Democratic margins that present headaches for Republicans.

In 2020, Trump lost the village of Waunakee by 28 points, about half his losing margin in the county. Waunakee has a population of about 15,000.

Eric Hovde, the Republican candidate for Senate running against Democratic US Sen. Tammy Baldwin, also visited Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee in September, where he took questions from employees.

— Hope Karnopp

Trump’s appearance in Milwaukee tonight will take place at Discovery World, a science museum that juts out into Lake Michigan. The museum’s current facility was built in 2006.

During the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump’s running mate and Ohio US Sen. JD Vance spoke at Discovery World at an event sponsored by the Log Cabin Republicans, a pro-LGBTQ group.

Harris also spoke at Discovery World in May, before she became the Democratic presidential nominee. During that visit, she focused on the economy and disparities that affect Black homeowners and business owners.

— Hope Karnopp

More: From admission cost to hours to exhibits, here’s what to know before a Discovery World visit

Hundreds of supporters are lined up outside Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee awaiting a visit from Trump. His remarks are scheduled for 1:30 pm

It’s Trump’s first campaign event in Dane County, Wisconsin’s fastest-growing county and a Democratic stronghold. Democratic President Joe Biden led Trump by more than 181,000 votes in the county when he defeated him statewide by about 21,000 votes in 2020. In Waunakee, Biden led Trump by about 2,600 votes.

Dane Manufacturing has served as a friendly space for Republican candidates in the liberal region. GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde toured the metal fabrication facility and fielded questions from employees about a month ago, and Texas US Sen. Ted Cruz did the same at the company’s former location during his 2016 presidential bid. Cruz, who now backs Trump, at the 2016 stop referred to him as a “sniveling coward.”

In his Tuesday speeches, Trump is expected to criticize the current Democratic administration’s economic policy.

“When Wisconsinites send President Trump back to the White House, he will lower input costs for our farmers, cut 10 regulations for each new regulation implemented, and help, not hurt, farmers’ ability to feed the world,” the Trump campaign said in a news release promoting the campaign events.

“While Kamala Harris desperately tries to run from her four years of failure for farmers, workers, and families across the state, Wisconsinites know that only President Trump can Make America Wealthy, Safe, Strong, and Great Again,” the news release said.

— Jessie Opien

Harris will be returning to Wisconsin on Thursday to rally voters in the Fox Valley. The campaign hasn’t yet confirmed her travel plans, but a Wisconsin Democrats advisory with a registration link went out to voters.

Harris was last in Wisconsin in late September for a rally in Madison. The Fox Valley visit would be Harris’ first to northeastern Wisconsin. Trump rallied in Green Bay in April for his first campaign stop of 2024, and running mate JD Vance was in De Pere recently.

— Hope Karnopp

A new Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin voters will be released Wednesday afternoon, right in the middle of this week of campaign visits. The poll is considered one of the highest-quality surveys in the country.

The last poll, conducted between Aug. 28 and Sept. 5, showed Harris with a four-point lead over Trump. That was within the margin of error, as have been most Marquette polls this year in battleground Wisconsin.

The last poll also showed an important switch for Harris: For the first time, she led among voters who consider themselves “very enthusiastic” to vote. Harris closed an enthusiasm gap that presented problems for Biden, then pulled ahead of Trump in the latest poll.

— Hope Karnopp

Election Day is Nov. 5, but voting is well underway in Wisconsin. According to Sept. 30 data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, 461,704 voters have requested mail-in absentee ballots. About 87,000 of them have been returned by voters.

Early voting, which provides an opportunity to cast an absentee ballot at an in-person location, runs from Oct. 22 to Nov. 3 inWisconsin. It’s up to each city, town or village to decide how many dates, times and locations to offer.

You can register to vote, request an absentee ballot, look up what’s on your ballot, find your polling place and more at myvote.wi.gov.

— Hope Karnopp