Tim Walz is going to help her at all. I think it’s going to hurt her,” Hovde said.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Johnson said he doesn’t see Harris as a strong candidate. “She doesn’t have any charisma,” he said.
As the freight train faded into the distance, Johnson reflected on the upcoming election.
“I’m not going to vote for anybody in this election,” he said. “I am a true neutral.”
“Despite all that, Walz has been helpful,” Hovde stated at the Madison Club on Aug. 14.
When it comes to campaign resources, western Wisconsin may present a mixed bag for the GOP. Down-ballot weaknesses could complicate matters for Trump.
Outside of La Crosse, a mid-sized city along the Mississippi River, the region is not a major focus for the conservative Turning Point Action’s voter turnout initiative, Chase the Vote.
In May, Matthew Martinez, Chase the Vote’s field director, mentioned to The Epoch Times that their conservative organization was concentrating on boosting GOP turnout in more densely populated areas of Wisconsin, even those that are not competitive for the party. He noted that much of the purple west is too rural to receive attention.
Third District incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), a freshman who represents a significant portion of the territory that switched from Obama to Trump, has a substantial fundraising advantage over Democrat Rebecca Cooke.
In the reliably blue Eau Claire, most individuals interviewed by The Epoch Times at a polling station identified as Democrats.
Aidan Leddick, a student at a nearby university, remarked that the city did not seem more conservative than his hometown, the liberal-leaning Twin Cities. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metroplex sprawls across the Minnesota state line from northwestern Wisconsin.
The atmosphere was distinct in the small town of Gratiot, Wisconsin, the closest location on the map to the Illinois border in Lafayette County.
As of 2020, Lafayette’s population stood at 16,611, according to Census data. In that same year, Gratiot had 224 residents, a decrease from previous years.
On the evening of Aug. 9, much of Gratiot gathered at Rocks Pour House, a traditional inn situated between Bridge Street (Wisconsin Highway 11) and the Cheese Country Trail. J.R. Kingery, the fire chief of Gratiot, was seated at the bar beside his sister.
Kingery mentioned to The Epoch Times that Lafayette was Trump country. However, as recently as 2012, the district voted for the Democrat—Obama.
Kingery couldn’t recall offhand the GOP nominee from that year (former Massachusetts Gov. and current Utah Sen. Mitt Romney).
“Ah—that’s why,” he remarked.
Romney-style “country club conservatism” didn’t appear to align well with nearby Darlington, Wisconsin, a town of approximately 2,500 residents partially surrounded by the Pecatonica River. Conservative and Republican signage predominated, although at least one house displayed a rainbow flag and other symbols of 2024.
In the background, a low, steady roar could be heard: the Lafayette County Speedway was holding its season championship.
Stock cars zipped around the bends, sending dirt flying through chain-link fencing. Families filled the bleachers at a safe distance from the flying debris. Teenagers mingled beneath the stands.
