Clinton never set foot in Wisconsin — then she lost it, and it helped cost her the presidency
Wisconsin is such a solidly blue state that Hillary Clinton didn't feel the need to campaign there in her general-election battle against Donald Trump.
And Donald Trump took it from her.
No recent Wisconsin polls showed the Republican nominee ahead of his Democratic counterpart in the Badger State. The RealClearPolitics average, which took into account four recent Wisconsin polls, put Clinton ahead by 6.5 points.
But after midnight on Election Day, Trump was ahead by several points. With 95% of precincts reporting, he was at 47.9% to Clinton's 46.9%. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson took 3.6% of the vote and Green Party candidate Jill Stein claimed 1%.
Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes — not a huge amount, but not an insignificant one in a race this close.
The Wisconsin State Journal noted that Clinton was the first major-party nominee since 1972 to shun campaigning in the state.
Trump had planned to campaign in the state last month with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is from Wisconsin. But after a 2005 recording leaked that showed Trump making lewd comments about women, Ryan reportedly asked him not to attend.
Trump planned another event in Wisconsin weeks later, but then canceled it. He later held a rally in Green Bay.
Early exit polls showed that Trump benefitted from anti-trade sentiment in Wisconsin, according to ABC News. Of the 49% of Wisconsin voters who said trade with other countries takes jobs from the US, 61% of them backed Trump, whose calls to rework trade pacts were central to his message.
Still, ABC's exit polls showed Clinton with advantages, as well. Most voters (57%) in their exit poll said they believe immigrants improve the country; 63% of them backed Clinton. Immigration had also been central to Trump's campaign — he has insisted that his administration will build a wall on the southern border of the US and deport illegal immigrants residing in the country.
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