Wisconsin, the land of fried cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers, is one of a half-dozen key battleground states where is in his expected November matchup with former president . Health Brief is a coproduction of The Washington Post and KFF Health News. Biden narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, after it went for Trump in 2016.
And while recent polling indicates that Trump now , many people here still can’t figure out whom to vote for, or whether to vote at all. Across the state, the rising cost of health care is high on their list of concerns. A Wisconsinite to my core, I wanted to gauge what is motivating voters.
Among the best places to understand the state’s mood are the many summertime polka festivals that draw voters of all political stripes. This past weekend, for instance, I met , 79, at the Birnamwood Polka Days in Birnamwood, population about . A Republican who served in Vietnam during his stint in the Navy, Prelipp voted for Trump in 2016, then switched to Biden in 2020.
Prelipp said Trump angered him with his . After Trump supporters stormed the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “I knew I couldn’t vote for him again,” Prelipp said. “I can’t believe we can’t find a better Republican candidate.
I’m still trying to decide what to do.” His veteran health care has improved remarkably under Biden, yet he still can’t stomach voting for him. “I’m not happy with Biden,” he said.
“Everything is getting so unaffordable, even health care.” Birnamwood.
