USA Today Calls Waukesha County 'Ultra-red Wisconsin County That Struggles With Donald Trump'

WAUKESHA COUNTY -- It's no secret that Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump faces an uphill battle to gather as many Waukesha County votes this November 8, but the USA Today takes a deep dive into Waukesha County to learn just how tough it's going to be for the GOP's oddly-coiffured contender.

The USA TODAY Network identified eight counties around the country that represent key voting groups in the November election. They focused on Waukesha County - where four years ago, residents produced more GOP votes per capita than any county its size in America. It has proven to be a decisive advantage to statewide GOP races.

You can find the full article here:

Ultra-red Wisconsin county struggles with Trump: In the Outer Milwaukee Suburbs, Hillary Clinton is Disliked. But so is Donald Trump, leaving Many GOP voters at sea.

Five Points from the USA Today Article you can take home with you:

#1: Voter dislike of Donald Trump will hurt other GOP Candidates

“The biggest problem is there are a number of Republicans that don’t want to vote because they don’t like Trump. If they don’t vote, that hurts down-ballot Republicans such as Sen. Johnson,”James Sensenbrenner told the USA Today.

#2: GOP voter falloff in Waukesha County would have to be made up somewhere else

"The difficulty is to win this state, if you have drop off among Waukesha voters and southeast Wisconsin voters, you’ve got to make it up somewhere else,” said GOP strategist Stephan Thompson, a former director of the state party, told the USA Today.

#3: Many GOP voters just don't like him

“He’s just a horrible human being. He has no soul … He changes opinions hourly,” voter Phil Rosen told USA Today. “I don’t want Hillary. I don’t like her. I don’t trust her. Trump? How can you trust anything he says?”

#4 Poll numbers reflect the GOP's dilemma

Trump is badly underperforming in Waukesha, according to polling this summer by the Marquette Law School. Combining four surveys from June to late August, Trump led Clinton by just 45% to 32% in Waukesha — with more than one in five voters refusing to express a preference. This is a county that President George W. Bush won by 35 points in 2004, Mitt Romney won by 34 points in 2012 and GOP Gov. Scott Walker won by 46 points in 2014.

#5: Waukesha County is a microcosm of Trump's Troubles across the U.S.:

It has a lot in common with other powerhouse GOP counties outside cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Charlotte. It’s a microcosm of Trump’s problems nationwide cementing the GOP vote. Most polls here and nationally suggest Democratic voters are more unified behind Clinton than Republican voters are behind Trump.

Contributing Factors

Voting is a personal decision for every person that heads to the polls, but a number of factors - aside from Trump's observed behaviors - may contribute to his struggles in Waukesha County.

Talk Radio

WTMJ conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes - and a host of other statewide radio personalities - took to the airwaves, online, in print and on television, posing as a huge thorn in the side of the GOP frontrunner in Wisconsin during the GOP Primary Election.

Many have given credit to their daily inoculations of the “Party of Trump” for leading to his double-digit loss to rival Ted Cruz in Wisconsin. Whether you agree with his commentary or not, and whether you love him or hate him, Sykes' audience and reach in the state puts him out front of what the New York Times calls "The 6 Radio Hosts on a Mission to Stop Donald Trump in Wisconsin."

Trump's clashes with Paul Ryan

Trump also made headlines (too many, for many people), when he clashed with GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan - a mainstay in Wisconsin politics.

"He’s not my kind of conservative," the Wisconsin Republican told a group of reporters at a Wall Street Journal lunch in Cleveland earlier this year, "but I come from a different part and wing of the party."Ryan has criticized Trump throughout the election cycle, particularly on the candidate's proposed ban on Muslim immigration, his attacks on a Mexican-American judgeand his use of imagery that many have called anti-Semitic. The House speaker endorsed Trump only last month.

Yet, Ryan said on Monday that while Trump isn't a "movement conservative," he shouldn't be disqualified as genuine conservative in the eyes of Republican voters.
"I think he is a conservative," Ryan said of the New York businessman. "There are different kinds of conservatives, that’s for darn sure."

Trump's clashes with Scott Walker

Gov. Scott Walker has come around a bit on his support for Trump, but things weren't always this rosy. It wasn't all that long ago that Walker and Trump went head-to-head prior to the GOP primary in Wisconsin, leading to some acrimony.

“I really beat (him) up badly and he walked out frankly in disgrace,”Trump said of Walker’s exit from the presidential race. “I’m surprised he’s got any juice left in Wisconsin.”

Image Credit Scott Anderson/Patch.com