By james art 
Wisconsin is once again a swing state in the 2024 election, and both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump made their closing arguments to voters in Northeast Wisconsin in the final week of the campaign.
The Badger State’s 10 electoral votes will be key in determining who will lead the United States for the next four years. The latest Marquette University Law School poll before the election showed the state too close to call, with Harris leading 50-49 percent within the poll’s 4.4 percentage point margin of error.
That made the state a key destination for candidates as they sought to energize supporters and sway remaining undecided voters.
Trump was the first to visit our area last week. After his plane landed at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, Trump sat in a garbage truck emblazoned with his name in an attempt to reject President Joe Biden’s use of the word “trash,” apparently in reference to Trump supporters.
When Trump spoke at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon on Wednesday, he was greeted by a crowd of thousands, many of whom had been waiting in line since before sunset.
At the rally, Trump focused on his key issues.
“Inflation that should never have happened, allowing Russia to go into Ukraine, October 7 in Israel, all these things would not have happened if there was a different president,” he said.
Addressing the situation at the US-Mexico border, Trump discussed the death of retired Green Bay police officer Tom Roberts. Roberts was killed Oct. 25 while trying to help a man stranded on the side of the road in Oconto County. The suspect charged in the case was detained by immigration officials, according to online records.
“The day I take the oath of office, the migrant invasion ends and the rebuilding of our country begins,” Trump said.
Trump joined some local stars on stage. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre supported the Republican, firing up the crowd the way he has for many years across the street at Lambeau Field.
“I think there’s never been a more important time in our lives than right now, in this election,” Favre said. “Like the Packers organization, Donald Trump and his organization are winners and the United States of America has won with his leadership.”
Two days after Trump made his final appearance in Northeast Wisconsin of the campaign cycle, Harris held one final rally in the Fox Valley.
She spoke to supporters at Little Chute High School Friday night.
In making his case to voters, Harris described Trump as “increasingly unstable,” “obsessed with revenge,” “consumed by grievance” and “patient with unchecked power.” She tried to draw a stark contrast between her priorities and those of the former president should he win the White House.
“In less than 90 days, either he or I will be sitting in the Oval Office,” Harris said. “Or he’ll sit there pouring and choking on his enemies list. Or when I’m elected, I’ll go in there, on your behalf, working on my to-do list. Because we have work to do.”
Harris also addressed inflation and the economy, saying that reducing the cost of living for ordinary Americans would be “at the top” of her priority list.
“That will be my focus every day as president. I will cut middle class taxes on over 100 million Americans. We will introduce the first-ever federal ban on corporate food price gouging and fight to ensure that hard-working Americans can actually afford a place to live,” Harris said.
The Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, was the only one of the top four candidates to give an in-person interview to FOX 11 during the election cycle. He spoke with our Andrew Mertins in Manitowoc just eight days before the election.
Like Trump with Favre, Harris has his own celebrity endorsement with connections in the sports world.
Businessman and TV personality Mark Cuban, who recently sold his controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks, gave an interview to FOX 11’s Ben Krumholtz explaining his support for Harris.
“For an affordable person (Trump) wants to deport, it costs $15,000,” Cuban said. “Are you going to get the officers in your community, instead of dealing with murder, instead of dealing with kidnapping, to focus on deporting people?” And who is going to pay for all this?”
Campaigning ends on Monday and Election Day is Tuesday. Early voting in Wisconsin ends on Sunday, although most municipalities do not have weekend hours.
For those who did not vote, the polls are open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit the MyVote Wisconsin website to find out where you vote, how to register and what’s on your ballot.
After the election closes, come back here to fox11online.com and the FOX 11 News app to find results. This year, you’ll be able to browse to find county-by-county results for many of the state races.
Once the winner is announced, Wisconsin will have just a few months before another hotly contested election. The race to succeed retired Justice Ann Walsh Bradley on the Wisconsin Supreme Court will be decided on April 1.