Biden, Trump to visit Wisconsin as campaigns work to turn out base ahead of election

By: Brendan Cullerton

Posted: Oct 26, 2020 4:36 PM CST

NOW: Biden, Trump to visit Wisconsin as campaigns work to turn out base ahead of election

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Joe Biden announced Monday, Oct. 26, he will make his third visit to Wisconsin in 2020 Friday, Oct. 30, while President Donald Trump will make his eighth visit to the Badger state Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Both visits come as the presidential race heats up, and turning out the base becomes more of a priority than changing people's minds.

“Persuasion kind of takes a little bit of a back seat, because if you haven’t been able to persuade them by now, what are you going to do in this last week?” Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Andrew Hitt said.

Hitt said visits from the president are great at accomplishing that goal because supporters who aren't able to attend the rallies are much more likely to watch his event on TV if it is taking place in their community.

Biden's previous two visits, meeting Jacob Blake's family, and speaking to manufacturers in Manitowoc, have looked very different than the president's campaign style rallies. Wisconsin Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes spoke to a sparse crowd at the Get Out The Vote bus stop at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Monday, and said the lack of crowd size demonstrated the difference between the two parties.

“Our people aren’t going to be showing up in the middle of a pandemic," Barnes said. "Even if we were to host a large scale event, it just wouldn’t happen.”

Barnes said Biden's lack of visibility in the state can actually be a positive.

“It is all the evidence that we need that we have a candidate who is taking this seriously," Barnes said. "Joe Biden isn’t going to put people’s health at risk.”

Hitt said Trump's visits give Republicans a leg up. He also said their community-based ground game will be enough to counteract the fact that the Biden campaign has more advertising dollars invested in the state.

“Those two things," Hitt said. "Joe Biden and his surrogates not coming to Wisconsin, and us having the superior ground game, I think gives us two advantages down the stretch.”