Last-minute campaigning: A tradition in presidential politics in Wisconsin
Editor's note: This is an edited, expanded and updated version of a story first published Oct. 13, 2020.
It's the final weeks of the 2024 campaign, and former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have been to the Badger State so often they can call a drinking fountain a bubbler.
Historically, they've had company. Since 1932, more than half of the presidential candidates have campaigned in Wisconsin during the final month before the election — many of them, in the final days before the election.
Here's a look at some of those last-minute campaign visits, and how they turned out for the candidates who made them.
Herbert Hoover
When: Nov. 5, 1932 (three days before election)
What happened: Hoover, the Republican incumbent, made nine appearances in Wisconsin that day, including one before a crowd of about 14,000 at the University of Wisconsin Field House in Madison. According to The Milwaukee Journal, the president was "an unmistakably tired man."
How it turned out: Hoover's Democratic rival, Franklin D. Roosevelt, got 63.5% of the Wisconsin vote; Hoover got 31.2%.
Lyndon Johnson
When: Oct. 30, 1964 (four days before election)
What happened: Johnson, the Democratic incumbent, came to Kosciuszko Park, where, in a 30-minute speech before about 50,000 onlookers, he vowed "we are not going to throw this progress away."
How it turned out: Johnson won 62.1% of the Wisconsin vote; Republican Barry Goldwater got just 37.7%.
Ronald Reagan
When: Nov. 3, 1984 (three days before election)
What happened: President Reagan made two campaign stops in Milwaukee that day to warn supporters against being complacent. "President Dewey told me not to be overconfident," the Republican incumbent told 2,000 people at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral's cultural center. (It was a reference to 1948 Republican nominee Thomas Dewey, whose "victory" over Harry Truman was declared prematurely by the Chicago Tribune.)
How it turned out: Reagan received 54.2% of Wisconsin's votes; Democrat Walter Mondale got 45%.
George H.W. Bush
When: Oct. 31, 1992 (three days before election)
What happened: Republican President Bush went on a five-city whistle-stop tour of Wisconsin. "He's called me a liar," Bush said, referring to Democratic rival Bill Clinton during a stop in Stevens Point. "Being attacked on character by Gov. Clinton is like being called ugly by a frog."
How it turned out: Bush got 36.8% of the vote to Clinton's 41.1%.
Al Gore
When: Nov. 5, 2000 (two days before election)
What happened: The Democratic vice president was met by a cheering crowd at Mitchell International Airport. "This election is so close and so hard fought, the counting of the votes may take all night long," Gore predicted.
How it turned out: Gore squeaked past Republican George W. Bush in Wisconsin, 47.8% to 47.6%.
Barack Obama
When: Nov. 5, 2012 (one day before election)
What happened: The morning before the election, President Obama shared a rally stage at the State Capitol in Madison with Bruce Springsteen, who joked that Obama would call him, singing songs. "I think we need him as president for the next four years because I don't want the competition," Springsteen said.
How it turned out: Obama, the Democratic incumbent, won 52.9% of the vote in Wisconsin, vs. Republican Mitt Romney's 46%.
Donald Trump
When: Nov. 1, 2016 (seven days before election)
What happened: In Zorn Arena at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Trump told the crowd: "We're on the cusp of something incredible. Historic change," Trump told the crowd.
How it turned out: Republican Trump narrowly won Wisconsin, with 47.2% of the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 46.5%.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden
When: Nov. 2, 2020 (Trump) and Oct. 30, 2020 (Biden) (election was Nov. 3)
What happened: Trump visited Wisconsin three times during the campaign's final week, including a rally at Kenosha Regional Airport the day before the election. "I think we're going to do well in Wisconsin, just like we did four years ago," Trump told the crowd. Three days earlier, Biden had his own rally at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
How it turned out: Biden narrowly defeated Trump, 49.5% to 48.8%.
Sources: Journal Sentinel files, The American Presidency Project
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Battleground Wisconsin: A tradition of last-minute campaign visits