Only days out from the 2026 midterm election, while some of the most enthusiastic voters have already cast an absentee ballot, the Democratic and Republican parties are actively working to convince the rest of their supporters to go to the polls on Nov. 3.

As national polling shows Republican voters are most likely to stay home, party activists are trying to convince the growing Hispanic population in Wisconsin to vote.

Reaching voters isn’t just about television commercials, though.

“How you doing, sir? Just out here canvassing for Lee Whiting, who’s running for state Assembly in this district,” said Hilario Deleon at the front door of a house on Milwaukee’s southwest side.

Often it comes down to volunteers knocking doors, talking with voters one at a time.

“I’m not sure if there’s any issues that you’re concerned about currently within Wisconsin,” Deleon said to another potential voter.

For Republicans in Milwaukee County, finding a friendly door can be a challenge.

“Lee is,” Deleon said to another.

“What party?” she asked.

“Uh, he’s a Republican,” Deleon replied.

“Oh, OK, then I forgive you,” she replied, walking away.

“I truly believe that Wisconsin’s a Republican state — it’s just we have a turnout problem on our side,” said Deleon, who is chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County. While it would be a major upset for the Republican in this legislative race to win, every vote for him in the 7th Assembly District likely comes with a vote for Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s race for governor.

“Milwaukee’s the key to winning statewide elections, whether it’s the White House, presidential elections or statewide offices for governor,” Deleon said.

It’s a message Tiffany repeats at his pub talks across the state.

“We have a 72-county strategy. We’re not ignoring Milwaukee County. We’re not ignoring Dane County,” Tiffany said on July 28 in Muskego.

Republican turnout will play a key role in whether Tiffany can overcome a bad national environment for Republicans.

“The midterms are coming up, and I hope you people are really spiritized,” said President Donald Trump at a June 5 rally in Eau Claire.

Midterm elections often see the party of the president perform poorly. With Trump’s approval rating at all time lows, Tiffany has spent a good chunk of the election trying to distance himself from the president.

“Tom Tiffany, he’s one of the best congressmen,” Trump said at the rally. “Now he’s running for a thing called governor.”

Tiffany needs Trump supporters to show up on Election Day, but he really doesn’t want to talk about him.

“It’s much like my opponent. You hear him talk — when he talks about Tom Tiffany — all he talks about is Tom Tiffany and Donald Trump,” Tiffany said. “And he’s not talking about what do Wisconsinites want. So he can rail against Donald Trump — I’m fighting for Wisconsin, and that’s what I will do as governor.”

Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley wants voters to connect Tiffany with Trump.

“We cannot allow MAGA extremism to continue in the state of Wisconsin,” Crowley said at a rally on the UW-Madison campus on Oct. 20.

“Congressman Tom Tiffany, he’s been the MAGA-extremist, and wants to run away from the fact that he has been lockstep with Trump for the past decade,” Crowley said. “He has been one of the most conservative members that we’ve had here in the state of Wisconsin, being a part of the Freedom Caucus, but also not fighting on behalf of Wisconsinites.”

Deleon runs into voters who aren’t happy with Trump.

“You got a maniac in the White House,” one Milwaukee resident said to him.

But Deleon said most Republicans don’t regret their vote in 2024.

“I already planned on voting for him,” said a different resident about the Assembly race.

“Happy to hear that,” Deleon replied.

The party activist elaborated on his position.

“We do run into voters that are frustrated at what’s going on at those levels, but do they regret their vote? No, they don’t. They feel better off. Things might be tough right now, but they’re willing to kind of just short-term pain for a long-term gain,” he said.

Christine Neumann Ortiz disagreed.

“There’s a lot of talk among family and friends and co-workers, people regretting voting for Trump,” she said.

Neumann Ortiz is the executive director of Voces De la Frontera Action, the political arm of a group dedicated to helping immigrants and working people.

“Our goal is to continuously increase the level of political participation by the Latino community and youth as well,” she said.

In 2024, Milwaukee hosted the Republican National Convention.

“Immigration is a big problem in every community in the United States,” a delegate from Florida said to PBS in an interview outside the Fiserv Forum that year.

Thousands of delegates held up signs inside calling for “Mass Deportation Now.” That fall, Hispanic voters around the country shifted towards Republicans, fueling a wave for the party.

Deleon said that shift wouldn’t surprise anyone who actually knows Hispanic people.

“Sometimes they’re the strongest supporters of —-they want it done because they’re like, we’re a nation of law and order. I’m Hispanic. I’ve had family in Wisconsin before it was a state on my mom’s side. I had family members who I think were illegal on my dad’s side,” he said.

After two years of ICE raids, tariffs and inflation, the question going into 2026 was whether the Hispanic shift was permanent or a mirage.

“The biggest shift was not the shift towards Trump as just the shift of stepping away from voting,” Neuman Ortiz said.

Voces De La Frontera Action is located on Milwaukee’s south side, in the heart of the most Hispanic part of the city. There are nearly 500,000 Hispanic people living in the state, with more than half in southeast Wisconsin.

“The Latino community has grown in every county in Wisconsin, so when you think about voting, Latinos obviously have a very large number in certain areas, like Milwaukee and Dane, but they’re everywhere,” Neuman Ortiz said.

That’s why the group has volunteers running a get out the vote phonebank.

“I’m an organizer with Voces De La Frontera Action. Have you heard of Voces before?” said one volunteer on a headset.

“Hi, is this Yvette?” said another volunteer. “We were just wondering if you were going to turn out and vote on Nov. 3? Yes? Awesome. And will you be supporting David Crowley? Absolutely. Love to hear that.”

Neuman Ortiz spoke to the intent of this effort.

“A phone bank is important because we are able to reach a lot of people and obviously we start with the people who are closest to us and it’s a personal conversation, it’s not mass produced communication,” she said.

Get out the vote campaigns are critical in these areas.

“Just traditionally speaking for Latinos, there is a lower voter turnout and we actually have seen that here in the south side,” said Cristabel Martinez, who is the chair of the Latino Caucus for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. She said threats of ICE at the polls can have a chilling effect on voters.

“I definitely think it’s a legitimate concern,” Martinez said. “And again, I think making sure that folks come prepared, you know, with identification, ID. I know for me, even like I’ve walked around with my passport, you know, even though I’m a U.S. citizen.”

Neumann Ortiz said the group is also encouraging early action.

“We’re also telling people to vote early,” she said.

Martinez said Latino voters are motivated to support Crowley for governor.

“Despite everything that’s been happening, again, it’s a testament of how resilient our community is and how we are preparing even in the face of adversity,” she said.

Crowley already represents the city’s south side as Milwaukee County Executive.

“This is about making sure that folks have a seat at the table,” he said. “And we have been working with them, getting folks access to different types of services and programs as it relates to our entrepreneurs, our small businesses, helping out our children, or those who have been affected by the immigration agenda of this federal administration.”

“Here & Now” asked Tom Tiffany what his message is for Hispanic voters.

“Yeah, I don’t deliver a message to any particular group,” Tiffany said. “I address all Wisconsinites, regardless of what your ethnicity is, regardless of what your color is. The plan that we have in place, of lower taxes, greater affordability, making sure state government is accountable to you, we’re going to grow jobs, we’re going make Wisconsin one of the best states in the country to be able to live, work and play — I think that resonates with everyone.”

Deleon said this is actually the correct approach.

“They identify themselves as a voter and then Hispanic second,” he said.

He added that the biggest issues for Hispanic voters are the same as for all voters.

“Affordability is a concern, but another concern that is probably equally or almost beyond that is public safety. People are scared,” Deleon said.

Neumann Ortiz agreed the issues intersect with all voters, but says it’s OK to speak directly to Hispanic voters.

“Immigrants are definitely part of the working class. Latinos are part of the working-class disproportionately. So all of the same issues that affecting others — on housing and the cost of education, the cost of healthcare — all of those things are, you know, affect them as well.”

And while Tiffany doesn’t have a specific outreach plan for Hispanic voters, the Republican Party of Wisconsin does. The party opened a Hispanic Outreach Center in Milwaukee in 2024, but wouldn’t allow “Here & Now” to interview its coordinator.

Christine Neumann Ortiz doubts the Republican Party speaks to the needs of Hispanic voters, but said the outreach center speaks to their power.

“I know they’ve been trying to make inroads into the Latino community for a while now, and again, because we’re a swing state, because of the growth of the Latino community and in particular the young people,” she said. “And so I think it’s a testament to the power that the Latino community has.”