Dennis Dresang is Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs and Political Science and founding director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs. His books include Politics and Policy in American States and Communities and Public Administration, both currently in their seventh editions. Wisconsin has voted Democratic for president in each of the last seven presidential elections, including all three that were won by the GOP. Yet Republicans make a run for it every time. Is it really a battleground state? Wisconsin is a closely divided state with a slight advantage for Democrats. The Milwaukee suburbs (Waukesha County) provide the GOP with votes that matches Democratic support in the Madison area. Milwaukee is a Democratic stronghold, but voter turnout in the African American community there varies considerably. The Minneapolis suburbs that reach into western Wisconsin lean Republican and the northwestern part is traditionally a stronghold for Democrats. In the rest of the state, Democrats have the edge in college towns and Republicans in most of the rural areas. More people statewide vote for Democrats, although Republicans control the state legislature because
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