How one Democrat is trying to maintain Trump country appeal: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, campaign embed reports from rural Wisconsin, where Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin faces the challenge of running with Donald Trump on the ballot. Plus, chief political analyst Chuck Todd breaks down why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is receiving interest from voters.

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Tammy Baldwin fights to maintain appeal in Wisconsin’s Trump country

By Sarah Dean

REEDSBURG, Wis. — Dairy farmer Randy Roecker is at a breaking point — and he blames it partly on President Joe Biden, so is planning to vote for Donald Trump for a third time this November.

“Farmers are hurting like you wouldn’t believe, and I myself, I am to the point of throwing up my hands and saying I’m done,” said Roecker, who cited inflation as straining his business for the last two years.

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But while he’s planning to vote on booting the Democratic president, Roecker’s also planning to vote to keep his Democratic senator, Tammy Baldwin.

“I support her all the way. I mean, no question,” Roecker said. “And everybody I know — the farmers — everybody says that she’s great for Wisconsin agriculture.”

Baldwin is bracing for a tough re-election race against likely Republican nominee Eric Hovde, a multimillionaire and bank owner, in the evenly divided Wisconsin, one of a handful of states that will determine which party controls the Senate. But she has the advantage of incumbency, and has often outperformed other statewide Democrats in rural areas, even