Wisconsin has this funny way of keeping everyone up until 3 a.m. staring at a glowing TV screen. In 2024, it happened again. The 2024 United States presidential election in Wisconsin results basically decided the vibe of the entire country for the next four years. Honestly, if you were watching the maps on election night, you saw the "Blue Wall" crack right down the middle in the Badger State.
Donald Trump didn't just win; he pulled off a statistical feat that hasn't been seen since the Reagan era.
Winning by roughly 29,397 votes might sound like a "narrow" victory, but in Wisconsin, that’s practically a landslide. It was the only state in the country where the margin was less than 1%. People talk about swing states, but Wisconsin is the heavyweight champion of the "toss-up." Trump ended up with 49.6% of the vote, while Kamala Harris finished with 48.9%.
What Really Happened With the 2024 United States Presidential Election in Wisconsin Results
So, why did the state flip back to red after Joe Biden won it in 2020? You’ve gotta look at the "low-propensity" voters. These are folks who don’t usually show up, the ones who aren't obsessed with political Twitter or cable news. In 2024, they showed up for Trump in huge numbers.
Almost every single county in Wisconsin swung to the right compared to four years ago.
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It wasn't just rural areas, either. Even in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee, the margins shifted. Harris still won Milwaukee County with 68.3%, but Trump chipped away at the edges. In a state where elections are won on the margins, losing a few percentage points in a big city is a death sentence for a campaign.
The turnout was also absolutely wild. We're talking about 76.6% of eligible voters casting a ballot. That’s nearly 3.4 million people. To put that in perspective, the national average was way lower, around 64%. Wisconsinites take their voting seriously, maybe because they know the world is watching them.
The WOW Counties and the Door County Surprise
If you're a political junkie, you know about the "WOW" counties: Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington. Traditionally, these are the Republican engines of the state. Interestingly, Harris actually improved the Democratic performance in these areas compared to 2020.
But it wasn't enough.
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Trump’s gains in rural "red" Wisconsin were so consistent and so broad that it overwhelmed the slight Democratic gains in the suburbs. Then you have Door County. It’s the ultimate bellwether. Since 1996, Door County has picked the winner of every presidential election except one. In 2024, it stayed blue (Harris won it by about 2 points), breaking its streak as a perfect predictor for the state's overall winner.
The Numbers That Defined the Night
Let's break down the actual certified totals from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. These figures were officially signed off by Commission Chair Ann Jacobs in late November.
- Donald Trump (GOP): 1,697,626 votes (49.7%)
- Kamala Harris (DEM): 1,668,229 votes (48.9%)
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 17,740 votes
- Jill Stein: 12,275 votes
One thing that kinda gets overlooked is the third-party impact. RFK Jr. was still on the ballot despite trying to get off it after endorsing Trump. He pulled about 0.5% of the vote. In a race decided by 0.86%, every single one of those votes mattered.
Why the "Blue Wall" Failed
The 2024 United States presidential election in Wisconsin results showed a clear disconnect between the national Democratic platform and the concerns of working-class voters in the Driftless Area and the Fox River Valley. While Tammy Baldwin managed to hold onto her Senate seat (winning by about 29,000 votes, almost the exact same margin Trump won by), the top of the ticket couldn't close the deal.
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Basically, a lot of people voted for a Democratic Senator and a Republican President.
This "split-ticket" voting is a Wisconsin specialty. It shows that voters here aren't just robots following a party line. They’re looking at individuals. Baldwin’s "Tammy on the Tammy" tour and her focus on local manufacturing saved her, but Harris struggled to define herself as clearly to those same voters in the final weeks.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for You
If you’re looking at these results and wondering what they mean for the future, here’s how to process the data:
- Watch the Margins, Not the Land: Don't be fooled by the "sea of red" maps. Wisconsin is a "purple" state where 20,000 votes in a few specific neighborhoods can change the course of history.
- Suburban Shifts are Real: The GOP's grip on the wealthy suburbs (like Ozaukee) is softening, but their dominance in rural areas is becoming absolute.
- Turnout is King: If you're involved in local organizing, 2024 proved that "low-propensity" voters are the most powerful force in the state.
The 2024 United States presidential election in Wisconsin results weren't just a fluke. They were the result of a massive shift in how different groups of people see their place in the economy. Whether you're in Madison or Marinette, the 2024 data is the roadmap for everything that happens in the 2026 midterms and beyond.
If you want to understand the current political climate, you have to start with the Wisconsin numbers. They don't lie.
To stay ahead of future shifts, keep a close eye on the Wisconsin Elections Commission's biennial reports. These documents provide the most granular look at ward-by-ward shifts that determine who wins and who loses in the most competitive state in the Union.