In battleground states, it's not just about winning — but also losing by less

In a small town less than an hour outside of Milwaukee, Democratic volunteers are stuffing pamphlets into plastic baggies that canvassers will take door knocking around the neighborhood.

The town of Elkhorn is in Walworth County, a Republican stronghold. But Democrats are trying to make some inroads here.

“Our goal in this office is to move the needle,” said Ellen Holly, a former chairperson of the Walworth County Democrats.

In a state where every vote matters, both Democratic and Republican campaigns are not only trying to win in counties where they’re strongest, they’re also trying to lose by less in places where votes for their candidate are harder to find.

Here’s how the math works

In many ways, “lose by less” has become the key term in the presidential campaign, according to Anthony Chergosky, who teaches political science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

“Because Wisconsin elections are so competitive and so closely decided, the parties understand that any little gain anywhere could make the difference,” he said.

In Walworth County, Holly said the Wisconsin Democrats have a specific goal.

“I think the state figured out if we can pull 42%, then the state is good … everything we do here helps,” she said.

In 2020, President Biden won Wisconsin by just over 20,000 votes. Holly said that’s because of the work of places like the Elkhorn Democrats’ office.

“I can't say that it was just because of us, but if we did nothing, he would not have won,” she said.

So what does the strategy look like in practice? For one, door knocking.

Barb Biggler and Margie Black are Democratic Party volunteers who live in Walworth County. As they were walking through a neighborhood where Trump signs fill the lawns, Biggler said she