The RNC was in Wisconsin. How will it affect voter sentiment in WOW counties around Milwaukee

Republican National Convention organizers hoped the massive event held in a key swing state would energize the party ahead of the four-month sprint to November's presidential election.

But in the critical WOW counties that border Milwaukee — Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington — interviews showed some voters divided on whether holding the RNC in Wisconsin would make a difference.

The three suburban counties have historically been bastions for the Republican Party, but the party's grip on the vote has declined there in recent cycles.

For some WOW residents, the convention could have been held anywhere and their sentiments would remain the same.

In interviews with 14 residents across Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, almost all agreed that the Milwaukee convention didn't change their views about the political scene. Nobody interviewed had interacted with delegates or attended the RNC, which was restricted to credentialed guests. Only some watched the speeches on TV.

"I couldn't care less about it," David Groth, 35, from Washington County said about the Republican's Wisconsin focus. "If any politician gave his speech, I'd rather be out fishing than sitting in that crowd."

RNC didn't make a splash in WOW counties, some say

In the city of Waukesha, some voters interviewed were concerned about Republicans softening abortion language in their party platform, and they agreed it was time for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race after his disastrous debate performance June 27.

In West Bend, the seat of Washington County, those interviewed said they were turned off by the Biden administration's handling of the economy, the border and foreign wars.

And in Cedarburg, in Ozaukee County, those interviewed were divided in their support of GOP nominee former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Chris Eggert, 70, sitting outside a Cedarburg coffee shop, said he watched parts of the RNC every night with his wife and was in support of the Trump campaign.

Down the block, Sarah Stiller, 41, reading a book at a table outside, said she hadn't seen RNC coverage except for some social media clips. She said she was steadfast in her support of the Democrats in 2024, no matter who led the ticket.

In 2020, Biden won Cedarburg by just 19 votes, the first time since the 1990s that a Democratic presidential candidate had won a single community in the WOW counties. The result marked a shift in one of the most polarized metro areas in the country.

Some in the WOW counties, like Darin Bilden, 58, from New Berlin, thought the RNC would end up swaying Wisconsin toward Trump and engaging conservatives ahead of November.

However, others were more wary of the effect it would have on the state. None of the voters in the WOW counties had much interaction with the RNC other than watching it on TV or seeing clips on social media, similar to residents all over the country.

Delaney, a 22-year-old Waukesha resident and Marquette University student, said she doubted the RNC would affect November’s election.

“I feel like there were some good speakers, but then there were some really radical speakers that really made everyone look bad,” said Delaney, who declined to give her last name and identifies as an independent.

Other conservatives were split on their thoughts of the RNC, with some disappointed with the speeches and others moving toward Trump.

“Trump has said a few things that I did not necessarily agree with and how he delivers himself,” Denise Bruendl of West Bend said. “But how he spoke at the convention, he totally blew me away, and I was like, ‘I'm on board 100%.’”

Groth, another West Bend resident, saw Hulk Hogan's speech and "about two-thirds" of Trump's speech. He said he was disappointed in the speeches because he thought they lacked policy discussions, calling them "a lot of word salad."

Inflation, border security, foreign wars are main policy concerns

Though Groth felt the RNC was lacking in policy discussion, he wasn't moved toward the Democratic Party. A Biden voter in 2020, he was now considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Trump due to the current administration's handling of the economy.

"I'm a barber, and I talked to a lot of people, middle class and the lower tier, that are really struggling to put food on the table with inflation," Groth said.

Along with inflation and economic issues, border security and American support in foreign wars were main policy issues brought up by those interviewed in the WOW counties.

For Eggert, the economy and border security are leading concerns.

"I think people should pay more attention to what's going on around them politically, especially now. Things aren't always going the way I think the country should be going," Eggert said.

While abortion has become a policy issue championed by the Democrats, some conservatives in Waukesha were concerned with abortion policy. The Republican Party has moved away from the politically delicate topic since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, a decision for which Trump has claimed credit because of his appointments to the court.

In the official party platform decided a week before the convention, the party softened its abortion stance and left abortion policy to the states, rather than supporting a national ban.

“I've been disappointed with Republican move away from the moral issues," said Tony Couppee, 67, interviewed in downtown Waukesha, citing same-sex marriage and abortion as key issues.

For some in WOW counties, Vice President Kamala Harris is a divisive figure

Since the July 15-18 convention, where Trump and the Republican Party presented their case against the Biden administration, the presidential race has changed drastically. Biden dropped out of the race and threw his support to Harris who has rapidly coalesced the Democratic Party around her candidacy.

In the WOW counties, conservative voters interviewed were split on whether they would trust her to run the country. For the most conservative in the WOW counties, Harris is just as bad, if not worse, than Biden. The ticket swap would not sway their neighbors, they said.

Conversely, Democrats interviewed were excited by the switch at the top of the ticket and the energy the change pumped into the party.

“As far as I'm concerned, (it’s) more incompetence,” Jeff Pennington, a 65-year-old pastor from Wales in Waukesha County, said of Harris’ candidacy. “I don't see that she's any more competent to be the executive of our nation than President Biden ... physically, certainly more vibrant, health-wise, but I don't agree with the policies.”

Eggert and Bilden expressed skepticism of Harris' quick ascent to being the presumptive Democratic nominee, echoing arguments from conservatives that Harris took the nomination undemocratically.

Washington County Democratic Party Chair Stephen Roberts contested this view, and said that he has seen a “tremendous amount of energy and positive feelings about the presumptive nominee” in their office and at the county’s fair.

The one thing conservatives, independents and liberals agreed on, though, was that it was time for Biden to step down from the race.

"I think he's a smart enough politician that he's built some really good people around him that would take care of him if he was faltering," said Stiller, the Cedarburg resident. "I knew it wasn't going to be amazing, but knowing that Kamala was behind him made me feel better about it."

Bruendl also thought it was a good move for Biden to end his campagin, saying that she thought Trump has an "edge" in the race after the assassination attempt on July 13 and an upper hand on Biden.

While she wouldn’t vote for Harris, Bruendl said she thought Harris’ entrance made a “more even playing field” and a closer general election.

“I think she's a good candidate. I think she's a good person,” Bruendl said. “I think we're gonna have a good race on our hands, and I'm all about democracy.”

Tristan Hernandez can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How WOW counties voters feel about election following RNC in Milwaukee