Democrats, Trump make final pitch ahead of presidential primary
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The countdown is on until polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and that means both parties are making a final pitch to voters in the battleground state.
On Monday, former President Donald Trump took to the airwaves in Wisconsin while supporters of President Joe Biden held regional press conferences highlighting what's at stake in the presidential race.
It comes a day before the race will be officially solidified once polls close Tuesday with President Joe Biden and Trump gearing up for a rematch this fall.
In Madison and Milwaukee, state and local Democrats teamed up with union leaders to call out Trump's "extreme and backwards" agenda ahead of the former president scheduled to hold a rally in Green Bay tomorrow.
"[Trump's] platform would take away personal freedoms, harm the economy and make life harder and more expensive for middle-class families," said Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez. " Donald Trump has long made clear that he does not care about Wisconsin and a last-minute primary day stop does not change that."
Tuesday will mark Trump's first visit to Wisconsin in nearly two years after he campaigned for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels in Waukesha leading up to the 2022 primary election.
Ahead of his rally in Green Bay, Trump was interviewed on a conservative radio show where he attacked Biden as the "worst president ever" and again falsely claimed he won Wisconsin in 2020.
"We won in Wisconsin as you know the first time," said Trump on WISN's Dan O'Donnell show. "The second time we did much better, but I guess it was delayed. They found out a lot of wrongdoing and after they found the wrongdoing they said well -- he actually did win."
Democrats denounced Trump's comments after lawsuits, recounts and a conservative funded review found no evidence of widespread voter fraud four years ago.
"He continues to gaslight us by still talking about how he won the 2020 election when we know there are some Republicans, some that he calls RINO's, who have already admitted the fact that Donald Trump did not win the state of Wisconsin," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Trump's visit follows a string of stops by the Biden campaign in recent weeks including events hosted by the president, Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden.
Come November, Republicans will try to chip away at Democrats' record of winning 14 of the past 17 statewide elections. Brian Schimming, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said part of their strategy includes encouraging their base to vote early and targeting first-time voters.
"There's a lot of people out there who have never voted before, and not just young people," Schimming said. "So, I think there's opportunities for us out there to provide the contrast we want to provide."
After Election Day, it will be full steam ahead of the Biden and Trump campaign as both are yet again prioritizing the battleground state and polls indicate it will be up for grabs for either party.