7 Minutes 
Key Takeaways
- Voters in Wisconsin had mostly positive reactions to Kamala Harris, with some planning to vote for her despite not supporting Joe Biden
- These swing voters hadn’t formed strong opinions on Tim Walz yet, though a few were already aware of the Minnesota governor and his policies
- Support for Trump’s proposed tariff plan was low, with voters saying it would increase the cost of goods too much
In August 2024, the Swing Voters Project checked in with 12 Wisconsin swing voters. The conversations took place a little more than two weeks after Joe Biden resigned from the presidential race. Focus group topics included Kamala Harris, her running mate Tim Walz, and Donald Trump’s proposed tariff plan.
An ongoing collaboration between Sago and Engagious, the Swing Voter Project interviews voters in key battleground states each month to find out how they feel about the presidential candidates and current events. Participants voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
Context for Wisconsin Swing Voters
The state of Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes. From 1940 through 1984, the state elected mostly Republican candidates for president. Then, in the presidential elections from 1988 through 2012, Wisconsin selected Democratic candidates.
In 2016, the state’s votes went to Trump with a narrow .7 percent victory. In 2020, Wisconsin went for Biden, with 49.5 percent of the vote.
How Kamala Harris Makes Voters Feel
The 12 Wisconsin swing voters included nine who identify as independents, two Democrats and one Republican. They were asked what emotion Harris makes them feel when they see her onscreen. Their answers included:
“I’m happy.”
“I’m enthused.”
“I’m curious. I want to know more about her.”
“I’m mostly proud.”
“Confused”
“Nauseated”
“Relieved”
“Indifferent”
“Cautiously optimistic”
“Relief”
Which Previous Democratic Candidate is Harris Like?
The focus group participants were shown a slide that included headshots of Joe Biden, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. The Wisconsin swing voters were asked which one of these three previous Democratic Party presidential nominees Harris was most like. As they answered this question, the Wisconsin voters could define the word “similar” however they wanted. Nine of the 12 said Harris is most like Barack Obama. Their comments included:
“I think they’re both really high energy speakers, very eloquent with their words.”
“I feel just the way that they conduct themselves and hold themselves is very similar … I feel like I could probably get into a really good conversation with both of them and they would actually listen.”
“I think she’s similar because she’s confident in what she says, but she’s not egotistical.”
“I believe she’s similar to Obama because a lot of the policies that she supports and Joe Biden supports came from the Obama administration during his eight years.”
Which Candidate Would Get Their Votes
When the Wisconsin swing voters were asked if Biden leaving the presidential race affected their vote, four said they were not planning to vote for him but would vote for Harris. Only one person said they would have voted for Biden but won’t be voting for Harris.
In a two-way election, here’s who they would support:
Kamala Harris: 9
Donald Trump: 2
Not Voting: 1
In a six-way race, here’s how they would vote:
Kamala Harris: 8
Donald Trump: 1
Robert Kennedy Jr.: 2
Cornel West: 0
Jill Stein: 0
Chase Oliver: 0
Not Voting: 1
But who do these voters think will win the election? If they were given $50 each to bet on the results, 11 of them would put that money on Harris. Only one would bet on Trump in this hypothetical situation.
Recently, the Democrats have been describing Trump and Vance as “weird.” Five of the Wisconsin swing voters had heard the Democrats use this term and 10 agreed that Trump and Vance are weird. However, at least five of the voters were concerned about the use of this term. Here’s what one of them said:
“I don’t love it. It’s very immature … I don’t necessarily think it’s hitting the mark like they think it is … It’s just not an appropriate word. It’s not professional … That’s not the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Trump, so I don’t think it’s accurate.”
Thoughts on Tim Walz
On the day the Wisconsin swing voter focus groups were held, Harris had just announced Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, as her running mate. Ten of the participants had heard the news, but nine of them said they didn’t know enough to say whether Walz was a good pick or a bad one.
Four people said they had been aware of Walz before Biden dropped out of the race. Their comments included:
“I know what happened during the riot situation after George Floyd was killed. I’m familiar with how he’s handled things with police brutality and stuff like that. I’m familiar with what he’s done with school lunch program and everything … I’m not governed by him, so I’m not paying too much attention to it, but I know enough about the big stuff.”
“I know he’s the one of the worst governors the state of Minnesota has ever had … He makes me as sick as Kamala Harris does. I know that he was a teacher. I know that he did support free lunches and I’m a supporter of that … Children need to be fed, so that there has been some good.”
“That he legalized marijuana in Minnesota.”
Trump’s Tariff Plan
During his campaign, Trump talked about a 10 percent tariff on goods from outside the United States and a 60 percent tariff on Chinese imports. When the Wisconsin swing voters heard the details of this tariff plan, only two supported it, while 10 were against it. Their comments included:
“A car is expensive. A lot of people can’t afford a car and now you’re gonna raise that price 10 percent?”
“A 60 percent tariff would crank the prices up, extremely high, in my opinion.”
“I think it would be highly inflationary and, just like the isolationism, I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”
As the election day gets closer and closer, be sure to keep up with the thoughts and opinions of voters in key battleground states. A new Swing Voters Project is available each month.
![[OnDemand] AI Moderation on QualBoard: A Live Look at What's Possible](https://sago.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cherrydeck-CRJMa0Ke7Tk-unsplash-scaled.jpg)
![[OnDemand] Ask Me Anything: Market Research in 2026 with Steve Schlesinger and Melanie Courtright](https://sago.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/microsoft-365-oUbzU87d1Gc-unsplash-scaled.jpg)
