Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., successfully won re-election in Wisconsin, while President-elect Donald Trump simultaneously flipped the state back to red in the presidential election.
As for how she did, Democrats credited much of her victory to her “72-county strategy.” Baldwin crisscrossed the state during his campaign, exploring places far from the two big blue counties of Milwaukee County and Dane County.
“I think it’s important to show up and I think it’s important to be heard,” she told Fox News Digital. “So I got to hear and get to know the challenges and aspirations of people across the state, rural, suburban and urban.”
Baldwin won by nearly the same margin as Trump by tens of thousands of votes in the state.
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Senator Baldwin was re-elected in Wisconsin, which also elected Donald Trump. (Reuters/File)
According to her campaign, she has hosted more than 250 events in Wisconsin in 2024 alone. She also hosted several destination tours during the campaign, including the Rural Leaders in Dairyland Tour and the Tammy Tour.
Baldwin’s campaign also targeted rural communities specifically, delivering content about her agricultural work.
But her rigorous travels weren’t the only thing that sealed her deal. The senator acknowledged that people can go anywhere, but they must effectively engage voters in each location they travel to.
One thing she pointed out was that she “took years to gain the trust of Wisconsin voters,” referencing the few short months Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign had to turn out voters for her in the state.
Baldwin also said he would convene roundtables and forums on related issues during his trip to Wisconsin.
“So I did that with the fentanyl and opioid epidemic. We brought together first responders, public health officials, and concerned community members to talk about what the pandemic looks like in this region, this region of the state. What resources do you need? “What is your biggest worry?”
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A woman in Wisconsin wears a cheesehead hat with an American flag on it. (Reuters/File)
She said they also held events on agricultural issues.
Baldwin credited his work on agricultural issues in part with his re-election victory. In early October, Baldwin won the endorsement of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors, a significant achievement for the Democrat in the statewide election.
“They cited various bills that I had championed or that had actually become law,” she said.
The senator pointed to the Dairy Business Innovation Act, which would provide small subsidies to a variety of dairy producers and processors.
“I visited a particular farm last spring that received one of these grants. They also invited several other farmers and processors who received grants to show them what they could do with the grants to grow their businesses. You can improve your bottom line,” she said.
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Dairy is a large agricultural industry in Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Charlie Litchfield/File)
The Wisconsin Democrat also thought pointing to his state’s large manufacturing sector and pushing for a “Buy American” provision in the bill helped win over some voters.
Asked whether her campaign serves as a model for other Democrats, especially those in swing states, she said, “I think it will be helpful to a lot of public officials.”
Baldwin added that he realized the need to travel to Wisconsin to this extent during his first Senate campaign. “As you know, I was in the House representing seven counties in the south-central part of the state. “I had to learn Wisconsin as I ran.”
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Baldwin touted his 72-nation strategy. (Reuters/File)
“So traveling to get that learning exposure and exposure to the timber industry and northern forests was very important. “There was no large-scale lumber industry in the south-central part of our state.”
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The Midwestern senator also said this is the first time he’s heard from Wisconsin residents that their elected officials haven’t spent much time in certain parts of the state.
“One of the things I heard from constituents when I was there was, ‘I can’t remember the last time a United States Senator visited our community. Especially not Democrats,” she said.
“It’s as if people in the lumber industry are saying, ‘I don’t think the senator has ever shown us that much interest,’” she added.
