We can’t survive four more years of Joe Biden — we need President Donald Trump,” said former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at an outdoor rally the former president held on June 18 in Racine.

“I just want to begin by saying, ‘Hello, Wisconsin, hello,” said Trump. “What a crowd, what a crowd. With your help, five months from now, we’re going to win Wisconsin.”

Trump’s message was a crowd pleaser there.

“After we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” he said.

With only a few Black and Latino voters in attendance, the former president talked directly to these minority groups of voters who overwhelmingly and traditionally tend to vote for Democrats. Trump is trying to buck the trend with voters of color — but is it working?

“If you look at the Hispanic population, if you look at the Black population — they’re voting for Trump, they’re voting for Trump. You look at you. Thank you. I like that person right there,” he said.

Hilario Deleon is the first Latino chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County and he’s the youngest. He passionately works the crowd at rallies like the one in Racine to ignite enthusiasm for Trump, who he believes offers a lot to Black and Latino voters, especially when it comes to jobs and the economy.

“They feel like they’re being left behind by the democrat party. They feel like the party has gone way too far to the left, and they want to just kind of return back to the middle,” Deleon said. “They may not like his personality, but if there’s one thing that they can’t do, say is that he brought us jobs and he put money in our pockets and we were able to, you know, have a better life under him than under the previous administrations.”

Antonio Servantez lives a few blocks away. He said he’s brought his young son to teach and expose him to politics so he can one day vote with his conscience.

“I never paid attention to politics. I didn’t understand. I said, well, whatever they do, it’s fine with me,” said Servantez. “But when you have children and a family — understand that wait a minute now, I can’t afford paying all this for the gas, when it was low, for the food and the eggs, when it was low and now it’s high, well, why is it high?”

Sporting his Donald Trump “Wanted for President” shirt, Phillip Brookshire is a walking billboard for the Trump campaign. He said he’s been supporting Republican candidates since the days of Ronald Regan.

If Brookshire could have things his way, he said, “I wish more Black people would pay attention to their own hearts and stuff, and don’t go by the media and don’t go listening because of what they’re grandfather and grandmother said, ‘vote Democrat.’ Don’t do that — vote for somebody. That bit has ideas that are really out here doing something to help you.”

To connect with more voters in Wisconsin, the Republican and Democratic parties both have set up offices in Milwaukee’s inner-city, targeting Black and Latino voters.

“Gracias por darnos vida salud y fuerza,” said Pastor Sarita Campbell on Milwaukee’s south side. “Thank you for giving us life, health and strength.”

“Sin su voto no tienen voz,” said Alder José Pérez of District 12 in Milwaukee. “Without your votes, you have no voice.”

Surrounded by symbols of faith and Latin culture, surrogates for the Harris-Walz campaign came to Iglesia del Dios Vivo church on Aug. 23 to speak directly to Latino and Black voters in a blended neighborhood.

The Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee is where the 2024 Republican National Convention was held, and the location of a rally with Vice President Kamala Harris and Min. Gov. Tim Walz on Aug. 20, which was held alongside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

“In less than 80 days, y’all, we have a chance to shape the direction of our nation,” said Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson.

“Imagine being able to just talk to three people a week — maybe change one person’s mind a week. You can literally be the difference,” said Key Jennings, Black Coalition Manager for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

“Vamos a tener una persona que no quiere a los latinos, que quiere divisiónes,” said Milwaukee resident Patricia Ruiz-Cantu.

The messages are in English and español.

“The chance to actually do something is right now — we don’t want to wait until November 6,” Jennings said.

“Let’s get out here. Let’s get the vote. Gracias. And God bless you,” said Pérez.

If the election is close, voters at the event could be some of those to decide who wins.

“I absolutely believe that it’s going to come down to the Black and the Latino vote,” said Harris supporter Steven Tipton. “Coming together and talking together is an excellent way to improve our chances of the Black and Latino vote — doing it for Harris and Walz.”

“As a Latino person, I would say it’s important to vote for the candidate that is going to, you know, be open to diversity and to community and people of various cultures,” said Harris supporter Priscilla Perez.

“Hey, Milwaukee,” said Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in the Fiserv Forum arena during the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Harris brought her message of a proposed tax cut for the middle class and $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homeowners on Aug. 20, the second night of the DNC. While she didn’t say it, the message is meant to speak directly to middle-class Black and Latino voters.

“We take on the high cost of housing, understanding so many people are trying to fulfill the American dream, and we need to give people help to get them,” said Harris.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson resists the assumption that Black and Latino voters will automatically support the Democrats. But he said he hasn’t met any Black voters in Milwaukee who support Trump.

“That’s why the vice president today is leaving her own convention — the DNC in Chicago — coming to Milwaukee, coming to the most diverse community in the entire state of Wisconsin and saying, ‘Hey, we see you, we value you, and I want to earn your vote,” Johnson said on Aug. 20.

For both campaigns, the battle for Black and Latino voters in Wisconsin is hardly over. Two months before Election Day, some wonder just how many more times will this team of candidates for the White House make their way back to the crucial swing state to win over these key demographics of voters.