Get ready to see a lot of John McCain and Barack Obama this summer and fall in Wisconsin.
Our state is among a handful that would qualify as "toss-ups" in the November presidential general election. And with Sens. Obama and McCain being atypical candidates for their respective political parties, the fight for independent voters in contested states will be more fierce than ever.
In Wisconsin, that is likely to mean many more campaign stops between now and November - both McCain and Obama already have been in Wisconsin since the end of their respective primary contests. And it will also mean a lot of advertising dollars will be spent by both campaigns.
Wisconsin has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1984, but Al Gore and John Kerry each won by only a few thousand votes. The state's 10 electoral delegates could turn out extremely important in the final outcome.
McCain's campaign is finding extra hope in Michael Gableman's win in this year's state Supreme Court election. "What Gableman showed is that you can lose badly in Dane County and lose significantly in MIlwaukee County and still win statewide," Republican strategist Mark Graul told The Associated Press.
Which could mean a lot of McCain visits around the state outside of Madison and Milwaukee.
Wisconsin Democrats, like those nationally, must manage to rally and unite after the contentious battle between Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke told the AP that battle lines hardened to the point "they were definitely turning into cement" during the primaries.
"Now we're going to thaw that out a little bit," he said.
Our congresswoman, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, contributed to that thawing a bit in a speech Friday at the party convention in Stevens Point when she urged Democrats to back Obama. Baldwin is a superdelegate who has been a staunch Clinton supporter.
Wisconsin played a pivotal role in the Democratic primaries, providing Obama with one of his biggest wins in a decisive February win streak. It is likely to play an even greater role in determining the next president of the United States.
Our state is among a handful that would qualify as "toss-ups" in the November presidential general election. And with Sens. Obama and McCain being atypical candidates for their respective political parties, the fight for independent voters in contested states will be more fierce than ever.
In Wisconsin, that is likely to mean many more campaign stops between now and November - both McCain and Obama already have been in Wisconsin since the end of their respective primary contests. And it will also mean a lot of advertising dollars will be spent by both campaigns.
Wisconsin has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1984, but Al Gore and John Kerry each won by only a few thousand votes. The state's 10 electoral delegates could turn out extremely important in the final outcome.
McCain's campaign is finding extra hope in Michael Gableman's win in this year's state Supreme Court election. "What Gableman showed is that you can lose badly in Dane County and lose significantly in MIlwaukee County and still win statewide," Republican strategist Mark Graul told The Associated Press.
Which could mean a lot of McCain visits around the state outside of Madison and Milwaukee.
Wisconsin Democrats, like those nationally, must manage to rally and unite after the contentious battle between Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke told the AP that battle lines hardened to the point "they were definitely turning into cement" during the primaries.
"Now we're going to thaw that out a little bit," he said.
Our congresswoman, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, contributed to that thawing a bit in a speech Friday at the party convention in Stevens Point when she urged Democrats to back Obama. Baldwin is a superdelegate who has been a staunch Clinton supporter.
Wisconsin played a pivotal role in the Democratic primaries, providing Obama with one of his biggest wins in a decisive February win streak. It is likely to play an even greater role in determining the next president of the United States.
