Wisconsin

[moderate_devil_dog]

I'm curious as to why Wisconsin is becoming closer and closer to going Republican.  I've never really paid much attention to politics until the 04 election, but I always thought Wisconsin was a very liberal state, similar to Minnesota.  I had always thought of Madison, as the Settle of the Midwest.  Any info on why the state is moving closer to turning blue would be much appreciated.

[jacob_101]

My best guess is that the liberal areas of WI are slightly lower in population than in MN.  Madison is nowhere near the size of MPLS.  MN has big liberal areas in MPLS, St Paul and Duluth.  That's hard to overcome.  If you look back WI has usually been slightly more Republican in Presidential elections being a point or two closer to the Republican candidate than MN.

[nclib]

The Milwaukee suburbs are pretty Republican.

[phk]

The Milwaukee suburbs are pretty Republican.

ditto. But to complete that thought, they are more Republican than the Twin Cities burbs I think.

[Rob]

Wisconsin used to be solidly liberal. Why it's changing I don't really know.

[nclib]

It is and has been economically liberal, but economic issues are emphasized less now.

[Frodo]

here's my take: what's happening to Wisconsin is similar to what has happened to Virginia (and the rest of hinterland America) in the least few decades, when it went from from being a swing state throughout the 1950s and early to mid-1960s, to being a solidly Republican state, i.e. the growth and development of the outer suburbs of major cities, and the growing cultural alienation of rural Americans from the Democratic Party in the wake of the tumultuous Sixties.  Wisconsin -and much of the upper midwest- is simply a lagging indicator of this political shift that began nearly forty years ago. 

to put it all in context, as the Democratic Party becomes more heavily dependant on corporate donations, as well as donations from the wealthy, and therefore kowtows their votes to win corporate favor -especially in light of the implosion of labor unions in the early to mid 1980s that robbed the Democratic Party of their primary source of funding- they become more and more a party of the well-to-do, who tend to be economically conservative and socially liberal, who tend to live in major cities, especially along the coasts.  this in turn lends credence to charges by Republican partisans that the Democratic Party has become a party of the 'limousine liberals' and 'latte liberals', though not entirely given that the poorest of Americans still vote Democratic, even in the Deep South. 
as the Democratic Party puts less and less emphasis on economics, so do working class Americans put less emphasis on economic matters when they vote.  this is why social hot-button issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, etc., are given such prominence, and is what has given the Republican Party its majority, and why it is making inroads into such traditionally economically liberal states like Wisconsin.  it's a vicious cycle, really.

i hope this answers your question, MDD.

[moderate_devil_dog]

Frodo, if you would like to post more info, I'd be glad to read it. 

[jacob_101]

I just looked back at previous elections and Wisconsin is not as Democratic as I thought.  Just like I thought in every election the Republican candidate earned a higher percentage of the vote than in Minnesota.  And Wisconsin voted for Reagan both times and Minnesota did not either time.  The 88 election was pretty close and so was 2000 and 2004.  I don't see that much of a shift.  1992 and 1996
were bad elections for Bush and Dole so no surprise Wisonsin voted Democratic.

[minionofmidas]

Wisconsin has some very Liberal areas, especially around Madison and in the Northwestern corner. It's also got some solidly Dem small town areas, similar to eastern Iowa, in the Southwest of the State. The Milwaukee burbs (the Census Bureau considers the Milwaukee MetroArea the most residentially segregated MetroArea in the nation), on the other hand, are ultra-Republican, and the Northeastern part of the state (Green Bay, Oshkosh etc), quite densely populated, also leans Rep, although I'm not sure why.
All in all, it's basically a swing state with a slight Dem lean and a freak result in 1988 related to the farm crisis.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

and the Northeastern part of the state (Green Bay, Oshkosh etc), quite densely populated, also leans Rep, although I'm not sure why.

German Catholics

[Gustaf]

Wisconsin isn't that liberal.

It was pretty much spot on national average 1992-2004. It was way to the left in the 80s, but that has its explanations, such as the Dukakis generally good result in the midwest. It was once again on national average in 1976, somewhat to the left in 1972. Nixon however did very well there, winning it by a clear margin in 1968 and also winning it in 1960.

Eisenhower got over 60% there.

To sum up, if you except 1988 there is really no history of Wisconsin being very liberal. Very different from Minnesota, the only never to for Reagan and a state that has only been once by a republican since 1960.

[Nym90]

Gustaf was spot on. Wisconsin never was all that liberal, with only a few exceptions. It's been a swing state for sometime, and it isn't trending Republican now, as evidenced by the fact that Kerry actually won it by a slightly larger margin than Gore. (Yes, Nader was partially responsible for this, but not wholly.)

[dazzleman]

Gustaf was spot on. Wisconsin never was all that liberal, with only a few exceptions. It's been a swing state for sometime, and it isn't trending Republican now, as evidenced by the fact that Kerry actually won it by a slightly larger margin than Gore. (Yes, Nader was partially responsible for this, but not wholly.)

I think the difference between 2000 and 2004 was statistically insignificant, and if you take Nader into account, you could argue that the state trended Republican from 2000 to 2004.  I haven't done an in-depth analysis, though.

[12th Doctor]

Wisconsin is expiriencing an odd treand in that the urban/suburban areas are becoming Republican and the rural areas and small, affluent cities in the central and western parts of the state are become more and more Democratic.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wisconsin is expiriencing an odd treand in that the urban/suburban areas are becoming Republican and the rural areas and small, affluent cities in the central and western parts of the state are become more and more Democratic.

Small town Wisconsin's had a rough time recently.