WISCONSIN 10 Electoral Votes 
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Although Republicans last carried the Badger state in 1984 with President Reagan's re-election, the 2000 and 2004 campaigns were extremely close.  Republicans saw encouraging signs in their success in the June 5 recall election.  In the early part of the general election campaign there was little activity from the presidential candidates, and they avoided getting involved in the recall.  After that highly divisive campaign, the most expensive in the state's history, costing $81 million according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the presidential campaigns appeared to want to give Wisconsinites a bit of a respite. 

The State in Play
The lull disappeared with Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville (in Rock County in Southern Wisconsin on the Minnesota border) as his running mate.  Romney's announcement on August 11 put the state firmly in play (+). Democratic principals finally started visiting beginning with Michelle Obama on August 23; in the final week President Obama made three visits to the state.  Ryan did a fair amount of campaigning in the state, and he also made it back home to Janesville on most weekends.  The state also received its share of advertising; according to the Smart Media Group the Obama and Romney campaigns and their allies spent a total of $45 million on the ad war in Wisconsin, the eighth most of any state.

Green presidential nominee Jill Stein's campaign was headquartered in Madison.  On Wisconsin ballots, Stein's campaign manager and longtime Madison progressive acitivist Ben Manski appeared as her running mate; his name had been used as a placeholder when the campaign circulated its petitions.  The Green ticket fared very poorly, garnering just 0.25 percent of the vote.

The presidential race was not the only tight race. The U.S. Senate contest between Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) and former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) was the most expensive in state history.  Thompson went through a primary and cumulatively spent $9.8 million, Baldwin spent $15.6 million, and there were $47.4 million in independent expenditures during the two-year cycle.  Additional resources poured into the battle for control of the State Senate, which Republicans succeeded in tipping from 17D, 15R and 1v to 18R, 15D.

Newspaper Endorsements (Sample)
OBAMA
ROMNEY
Chippewa Herald (Nov. 4, 2012) +
LaCrosse Tribune (Nov. 4, 2012) +
Wausau Daily Herald (Oct. 28, 2012) +
Beloit Daily News (Nov. 3, 2012) +
Green Bay Press-Gazette (Oct. 28, 2012) +
Janesville Gazette (Nov. 4, 2012)
*Wisconsin State Journal (Nov. 4, 2012)   83,083 (92) +
Chippewa Herald and LaCrosse Tribune same endorsement.

NO ENDORSEMENT
The Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee] (Oct. 26, 2012) +
"...we have decided that the Editorial Board should get out of the political endorsement business."
Kenosha News (Oct. 20, 2012) +
"The wounds from that [recall] battle still run deep across the state, convincing us to take a different approach on endorsements this fall. ...we’re not going to make endorsements in the presidential election or the U.S. Senate race this year."

Insurmountable Pluralities in Milwaukee and Dane Counties
Wisconsin had the second highest turnout as a percentage of voting eligilble population, trailing only Minnesota.  Paul Ryan's presence on the ticket was not enough to tip the state into the red column.  Although Romney-Ryan won more counties (37 to 35), Obama-Biden racked up insurmountable pluralities in the two largest counties, Milwaukee and Dane.  To carry Wisconsin, Republicans would have needed to do better in those two counties (as the Bush-Cheney ticket did in 2004 when they came very close).

Statewide
2004
+Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
1,489,504 (49.70)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.) 1,478,120 (49.32)
Others and Scatter
29,383
(0.98)
Total
2,997,007
plurality: 11,384 votes (0.38 percentage points)
counties: Bush
45, Kerry 27
2008
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
1,677,211 (56.22)
McCain/Palin (Rep.) 1,262,393 (42.31)
Others and Scatter
40,023
(1.34)
Total
2,983,417
plurality: 414,818 votes (13.91 percentage points)
counties: Obama 59, McCain 13

2012
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
1,620,985 (52.83)
Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 1,407,966 (45.89)
Others and Scatter
39,483
(1.29)
Total
3,068,434

plurality: 213,019 votes (7.06 percentage points)
counties:
Romney 37, Obama 35

Milwaukee 
2004
+Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
297,653
(61.72)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.) 180,267
(37.38)
Others and Scatter
4,316
(0.89)
Total
482,236

plurality: 117,386 votes (24.34 percentage points)
482,236 is 16.09% of 2,997,007 total votes

2008
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
319,819
(67.30)
McCain/Palin (Rep.) 149,445 (31.45)
Others and Scatter
5,928
(1.25)
Total
475,192

plurality: 170,374 votes (35.85 percentage points)
475,192 is 15.93% of 2,983,417 total votes

2012
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
332,438
(67.49)
Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 154,924
(31.45)
Others and Scatter
5,214
(1.06)
Total
492,576

plurality: 177,514 votes (36.04 percentage points)
492,576 is 16.05% of 3,068,434 total votes


Dane
2004
+Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
181,052
(66.02)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.) 90,369
(32.95)
Others and Scatter
2,828
(1.03)
Total
274,249
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plurality: 90,683 votes (33.07 percentage points)
274,249 is 9.15% of 2,997,007 total votes
2008
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
205,984
(72.80)
McCain/Palin (Rep.) 73,065
(25.82)
Others and Scatter
3,890
(1.37)
Total
282,939

plurality: 132,919 votes (46.98 percentage points)
282,939 is 9.48% of 2,983,417 total votes


2012
+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
216,071
(71.03)
Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 83,644
(27.49)
Others and Scatter
4,466
(1.47)
Total
304,181
plurality: 132,427 votes (43.54 percentage points)
304,181 is 9.91% of 3,068,434 total votes


Waukesha
2004
+Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
73,626
(31.96)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.) 154,926
(67.25)
Others and Scatter
1,811
(0.79)
Total
230,363

plurality: 81,300 votes (35.29 percentage points)
230,363 is 7.68% of 2,997,007

2008
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
85,339
(36.64)
+McCain/Palin (Rep.) 145,152
(62.32)
Others and Scatter
2,406
(1.03)
Total
232,897

plurality: 59,813 votes (25.68 percentage points)
232,897 is 7.81% of 2983,41 total votes

2012
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
78,779
(32.31)
+Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 162,798
(66.76)
Others and Scatter
2,279
(0.93)
Total
243,856
plurality: 84,019 votes (34.45 percentage points)
243,856 is 7.95% of 3,068,434 total votes



Recommended: Wisconsin Public Television/Wisconsin Public Radio's Wisconsin Vote site.