Only two Wisconsin counties flipped in 2020 election, but some red counties became less red

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Marquette Law Poll Director Charles Franklin said it’s clear the changes pollsters made after getting it wrong in 2016 weren’t enough.

But the data we have now of actual voters shows where the state flipped democratic.

Franklin said the average Wisconsin poll was off 9 points in the presidential election.

Marquette fellow Mike Gousha said one theory floating around political circles is that a certain segment of Trump voters are tough for pollsters to track down.

“This is someone who doesn’t vote in all elections, but someone who likes Donald Trump a lot," Gousha said. "Feels very motivated to turn out for Donald Trump. This individual also has deep distrust in the nation’s institutions.”

Franklin said what’s more troubling, is pollsters tried to find those voters after missing them in 2016.

“We’ve missed these people, despite looking for them,” Franklin said.

Biden was able to flip enough votes to turn the state blue, but flipped only two counties.

Franklin said the difference is counties surrounding Oshkosh, Appleton and suburban Milwaukee aren’t quite as red as they used to be.

“If you draw a diagonal from Green Bay to the Iowa/Minnesota corner, southeast of that diagonal, most of the counties have been moving in a Democratic direction," Franklin said.

The northwest half of the state shifted red.

Gousha said one question about the blue shift, particularly with suburban woman, is will it stick?

“Is part of that a Trump phenomenon, that some women in the suburbs just said, no, I don’t like the style," Gousha asked.