In swing-state Wisconsin, Democrat hustles to keep key Senate seat against Trump-backed millionaire

NEW GLARUS, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, whose “go everywhere” 2018 campaign strategy became a model for how to win in battleground Wisconsin, knows her road to victory this year against a multimillionaire Republican supporter of former President Donald Trump goes through places like New Glarus.

The bucolic village of 2,200, founded by Swiss immigrants and famous for its Spotted Cow craft beer, is a world away from the urban Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Madison, where Democrats like Baldwin and President Joe Biden rack up massive margins of victory.

“Look, in a state like Wisconsin, a 50-50 battleground state, you don’t have to win every county,” Baldwin said in a warehouse surrounded by pallets of New Glarus beer, sold only in Wisconsin. “But it is really critical that you get folks out to vote, and you have the discussions and up the turnout in every community that you can.”

The likely contest between Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde shapes up as one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races in the country. A Baldwin victory is crucial for Democrats who are defending 23 seats in the Senate, including three held by independents who caucus with Democrats clinging to a 51-49 majority. That’s compared with just 11 seats that Republicans hope to keep in their column.

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