The Wisconsin primary is tomorrow, and as far as the presidential part of the primary is concerned, Wisconsin is very much still in play.
All of the remaining candidates have spent time over the past week campaigning in the state. And last week’s Marquette University Law School poll suggests that Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz have a slight lead on their respective opponents, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
But polls don’t always predict the actual outcome of an election. Mordecai Lee, former Wisconsin state legislator, current professor of Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee and occasional Lake Effect political analyst, says Wisconsin is in a very unique position.
"The political gods have looked down on Wisconsin and they've given us two miracles, not just one. After all, we're so used to Wisconsin being so late in our presidential primary that at least one of the two races is over - and usually both races are over," he says. "Here we've got this very unusual situation that even though we're about the 34th/35th state in this cycle to be casting votes, all the eyes of the nation are on Wisconsin. Both races are hot and heavy and we may well be a corner turning moment in both races."
Voter turnout in Wisconsin is typically the highest in presidential races, second highest for gubernatorial elections and primaries are place third, according to Lee. "I wouldn't be surprised if what happens on Tuesday competes with a gubernatorial election, that's how much interest there is," he says.
Peter O’Dowd is the Assistant Managing Editor for NPR’s Here and Now, and he's been traveling throughout the United States covering the elections. O'Dowd has noticed that states that were once overlooked, such as Nevada and Michigan, are of higher importance.
"It is constantly interesting from state to state," says O'Dowd. "Every single state matters, the national media is descending upon every state...It's high energy, the stakes are high and of course we're seeing things that we have never seen before. It's fascinating."
