Elections

Biden and Trump win Wisconsin's 2024 presidential primaries

While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations, voters in Wisconsin showed their support for the presumptive nominees, who won large majorities in the state's 2024 presidential primary.

Associated Press

April 2, 2024

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Snow covers most of a metal sign with a portion brushed off over the words Polling Place next to a snow-covered road with multiple tire tracks, with buildings and parked vehicles in the background.

Snow covers most of a sign outside a polling place on April 2, 2024, at Lakeview Library in Madison. (Credit: Zac Schultz / PBS Wisconsin)


AP News

By Jonathan J. Cooper and Theresa Crawford, AP

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Voters in Wisconsin weighed in April 2 on their parties’ presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations.

Biden and Trump easily won primaries in Wisconsin, adding to their delegate hauls for their party conventions in the summer.

Their victories, while hardly surprising, nevertheless offer clues about enthusiasm among base voters for the upcoming 2020 rematch that has left a majority of Americans underwhelmed. Biden has faced opposition from activists encouraging Democrats to vote against him to send a message of disapproval for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, and some Republican Trump critics are still voting for rivals who have dropped out.

In particular, the tallies in Wisconsin, a pivotal November battleground, will give hints about the share of Republicans who still aren’t on board with Trump and how many Democrats are disillusioned with Biden. Trump campaigned on April 2 in Wisconsin and Michigan, two Midwest battlegrounds.

“Donald Trump is the first person I can remember who actually tried to keep all of the promises that he made during the campaign,” said Scott Lindemann, a 62-year-old contractor in Kenosha who voted for the former president in the GOP primary. “I was very impressed with that.”

Theresa Laabs, a 55-year-old cashier in Kenosha, said her family is feeling the squeeze from higher food and gasoline prices, but she voted for Biden in the Democratic primary because she feels like he’s working to alleviate inflation.

“I understand it’s the economy now, and I’m hoping that Joe will keep working even harder in the next four years to try and bring these things down and make it easier for the working family,” Laabs said.

Trump and Biden turned their attention to the general election after Haley dropped out of the GOP contest. Biden visited all the top battlegrounds in March after his State of the Union speech.

Biden and the Democratic National Committee have outpaced Trump and the Republicans in fundraising. Biden claimed the largest single-event fundraising record when he took in $26 million at a star-studded New York event on March 28 with big names from the entertainment world teamed up with the president and his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Trump is looking to one-up his rival with a fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida, that he hopes will bring in $33 million.

Cooper reported from Phoenix.


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