Yes, the elections of 2016 and 2020 had their fair share of conflict. But we’ve seen some other real doozies in our nation’s history. Many political differences throughout our brief 250 years have ended in bloodshed.

Some say the Civil War era was the most fiery period in America. But we’ve been experiencing a Cultural Civil War in our country for quite some time now. Let’s hope our era doesn’t end in violence as well!

1800s America

Had we lived in the early 1800s, we would still occasionally hear news of “duels to the death.” These pistol fights were often sparked by one man attacking another man’s honor, or insulting his wife in one way or another.

Most famously, Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton, who helped foil some of Burr’s political aspirations. Though dueling was against the law at the time, it wasn’t always prosecuted… most considered it “a gentleman’s agreement.”

Andrew Jackson participated in a number of duels (the exact amount is unknown), and at least one was caused by someone insulting his wife. (He was another aspiring President who was shot in the chest). Charles Dickinson (a marksman) barely missed A.J.’s heart, because of Jackson’s super-slender build (and oversized suit coat), but lodged a bullet in his rib-cage. That bullet would stay in Jackson’s chest for the rest of his life.

It’s interesting to note that Andrew Jackson could have beaten Abraham Lincoln in becoming our first President to be assassinated. In 1835, A gunman used 2 pistols at close range, but missed with both. Jackson brutally beat the man with his cane, and the fellow was confined to a mental institution the rest of his life. He died 4 years before John Wilkes Booth would shoot President Lincoln.

Oddly and eerily enough, John Wilkes Booth attended Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inauguration Address and bragged, “What an excellent chance I had, if I wished, to kill the President on Inauguration day!” One month later, he would shoot Honest Abe from a closer, yet similar angle at Ford’s theatre.

From Guns to Knives and Canes

Statesmen Henry Clay and John Randolph dueled, and William Graves killed fellow Congressman, Jonathan Cilley, over insults to his Party. After Cilley’s death, Congress permanently banned dueling, but members still carried other weapons (like canes and bowie knives) into the chambers. The Speaker of Georgia’s House knifed and killed a Congressman, accusing him of mocking the way he spoke.

A pro-slavery Virginia Senator challenged Wisconsin Congressman, John Fox Potter, to a duel in 1860, and Potter picked the bowie knife as their weapon of choice. Police arrested both prior to the fight, but Potter (later a WI judge) earned the lifelong nickname “Bowie Knife Potter.” One thankful state awarded him an engraved, customized, 6 ft. bowie knife for his bravery!

2 years prior, Congress saw a massive fist fight take place between Democrats and Republicans over slavery (a telling sign of the brutal Civil War to come). In total, 70 violent incidents and 30 all-out brawls have been recorded in the halls of Congress!

The most famous case of caning came at the hands of Representative Preston Brooks. He brutally beat abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner so badly, that he had to leave Congress for 3 years to recuperate. Brooks felt offended at Sumner’s rant against slavery, and was charged with assault shortly after the attack.

Assassination Attempts

Of course, our nation has witnessed several assassination attempts… some successful, some not. McKinley, Garfield, Lincoln and Kennedy stand as our 4 Presidents killed by crazed gunman.

But 60 years after the Congressional brawl of 1858, another deranged individual shot would-be Presidential candidate, Theodore Roosevelt, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ironically, T.R. blamed the hyper-polarized and violent times for his near demise. With blood dripping down his shirt, he finished his speech, proclaiming, “It takes more than that to kill a Bull-Moose!”

And 110 years after the famous Congressional melee, another Presidential candidate wasn’t as fortunate as Theodore Roosevelt. Robert F. Kennedy died 5 years after his brother, John, at the age of 42. Sirhan Sirhan shot him point blank, after Kennedy’s speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Now, 55 years later, his son (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) is running for President in the hyper-polarized times of the 2020s.

Final Reflections

I was speaking with some folks recently about our current Cultural Civil War and the official Civil War of the 1860s. I mentioned that we seemed pretty united about many issues in the first Civil War (including a Christian faith, which had grown since the early 1800s). Obviously, during Abraham Lincoln’s time, slavery was the one true issue tearing us apart.

Today, we see major differences in almost all cultural issues, except for slavery (which, of course, has been abolished, and no person in their right mind would support). Whether abortion, guns, transgender rights, fair elections or you-name-it, Americans seem more divided than ever before.

The 1860s saw very turbulent times, as did the 1960s. Which leads to one very important question: “Are the 2060s primed for another violent climax of sorts?” Love him or hate him, the prospect of Donald Trump becoming the 2nd President to serve 2 non-consecutive terms (next to Grover Cleveland), seems to put a wet blanket on any bipartisanship happening very soon.

With 2024 right around the corner, I’m wondering if you have any thoughts or predictions?

Key Bullet Points (NPI)

• 1800: Close and Contentious election between Jefferson and Adams.
• 1804: Burr kills Hamilton in a duel.
• 1824: Jackson vows revenge after bitter race with John Quincy Adams.
• 1838: William Graves (Kentucky) kills Jonathan Cilley (Maine) in a duel.
• 1856: Preston Brooks severely beats Charles Sumner with his cane.
• 1858: All-out brawl in Congress over slavery.
• 1860: Lincoln defeats Douglass. Weeks later, the Civil War begins.
• 1876: Hayes/ Tilden Compromise that sets back Civil Rights 100 years.
• 1912: Theodore Roosevelt was shot in Milwaukee.
• 1948: Truman beats Dewey. Southern Dixiecrats walk out.
• 1963: Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates John F. Kennedy
• 1964: Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in NY City.
• 1968: James Earl Ray kills Martin Luther King in Memphis.
• 1981: John Hinckley Jr. shoots Ronald Reagan at the Washington Hilton.
• 2000: Famous, fiery “Florida Hanging Chad” election– Gore v. Bush.
• 2016: Donald Trump wins. The Left angrily protests his election.
• 2020: Joe Biden beats Donald Trump in a hotly contested race.
• 2024: Possible bitter rematch between Biden and Trump.

PS: Many other assassination plots or attempts took place over our history, and I urge you to research them. Among people targeted were: William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post SWING STATE: Most Divided Times? first appeared on Swing State, The Series.

How would you react? Upon finishing my last shots for SWING STATE, a Democratic leader called me up in Beloit. I’d been suffering with what I thought was a case of food poisoning, so I didn’t get back to him for a few days.

After finally calling him, he said “a famous film director” was trying to contact me. He added that he and his crew were planning to travel to the same Wisconsin communities that I did. Now the gears started spinning in my mind.

You’d probably respond the same way I did. “Famous film director”? Same Wisconsin places? Who could this person possibly be???

Fahrenheit 9/11 to Fahrenheit 11/9

As it turns out, it was Michael Moore (yes, THAT Michael Moore), who was trying to reach me, and was doing so via his producer, Conall Jones. Mr. Jones wanted to interview me about my SWING STATE travels, for their upcoming movie, Fahrenheit 11/9.

Seeing how Conall was flying in from their operations in NY, I asked where he wanted me to meet him. Milwaukee? Madison? Maybe Mauston? To my amazement, he replied, “No, why not meet me in the basement of Beloit College Library?” I say “to my amazement,” because this was exactly where I was doing my film work at the time! My jaw literally dropped open!

A Beloit College Connection

Conall told me his father-in-law taught at Beloit College, and that he would be staying at his house. Two blocks away. On Emerson Street! My first reaction was, “What are the chances?” My second was, “The Good Lord can sure put all puzzle pieces together, in whatever intricate way he wants to!”

So, a week later, this hip, young producer met me in the library, where he watched my footage with positive feedback. He later took me downtown to Domenico’s for dinner, where he told me he’d been on the phone with their film “archivist.”

If Moore’s team liked any of my clips, he assured me, they would pay top-dollar to include them in 11/9. I mean top dollar! Depending on how much they needed any particular footage, the “per second” rate could add up to a ton of money in a hurry!

Every Swing State But Wisconsin

But, alas– for whatever reason– Moore’s team decided to go with every Swing State BUT Wisconsin. This I found out week’s later, after sending them roughly a dozen SWING STATE clips.

Subsequently, I briefly kept in touch with Mr. Jones, until shortly after he left Moore’s production company. This once Vice producer went on to the Wall Street Journal and other documentary work.

But the story doesn’t quite end there.

While waiting to hear back whether my clips were accepted or not, I decided to email the address on the back of a book I bought regarding entertainment law. Michael Donaldson (top entertainment lawyer and author of Clearance & Copyright) responded within 2 weeks to a query I made about Michael Moore.

He told me I was wise to look into the past proclivities of the famous filmmaker, and that he’d devoted a couple pages to him in his book. Beyond that, he could offer no further detailed counsel, because he represented Mr. Moore as his entertainment lawyer for Fahrenheit 11/9. One wonders if that’s why they never got back to me regarding my film footage!

A Few Conclusions

In the end, I’ve made a few conclusions about my odd, behind-the-scenes experiences regarding the SWING STATE film series.

Seeing how a prestigious documentary director took interest in the same topic of Swing States (and bipartisanship), I knew I was at least on the right track with my movies. I also knew my footage was quite unique and valuable, if Moore’s nice, young producer said so. I also knew I was doing something right, when I won a “People’s Choice Award” at the BIFF film festival, a few seasons back.

In closing, I’m trying to decide on whether to make a Part 3 in Northern Wisconsin or not. Many have encouraged me to do another documentary, at least for the sake of Wisconsin’s history. In my mind, an Act 3 (with all the expected drama and conflict to come) might actually tie things up quite nicely!

What do you think?

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post SWING STATE: Jaw- Dropping Behind the Scenes! first appeared on Swing State, The Series.

We touched upon a few ideas why Swing-State Wisconsin is so divided, in our last blog post. You may recall that I mentioned Jonathan Haidt’s work regarding “The Culture Wars,” and how those wars have exacerbated.

You may also recall I mentioned that we’ve self-gerrymandered ourselves, both geographically and socially (physically and online). For the most part, Minorities and Democrats gravitate toward urban areas, Caucasians and Republicans toward rural ones.

Rural Resentment in Wisconsin

UW professor, Kathy Cramer, traveled to 27 Wisconsin counties, documenting her fascinating findings in a 2016 book: The Politics of Resentment. This Political Science teacher said what surprised her most, was how many rural residents actually resented the metro areas. Madison and Milwaukee (according to some of those residents) seem to get all “the goodies” in the state.

Goodies like high-speed rail, other expensive projects, and, or simply the attention from those in power. A handful of folks in Friendship confirmed these notions during interviews for SWING-STATE. Some said their areas get overlooked for things as large as road construction, as small as political sign distribution.

Sometimes the resentment of these “outstate” folks (a term they generally despise) focuses on cultural differences as well. Apparently, many perceive urban dwellers as educated, elitist and leading somewhat odd or aberrant lifestyles.

Both Sides of Swing-State Wisconsin

I, myself, grew up as what people called a “Townie/Gownie”– somebody who came from a rural area, but attended a college in the large city nearby. I experienced both sides of the equation. I’d occasionally hear country-folk criticizing the “rich, spoiled Beloit College students.” I’d occasionally hear college students referring to the “Townies,” as if they were from “Hicksville, USA.”

Fun fact: Carthage College asked me to speak about SWING-STATE roughly a year ago. As I laid on my bed, thinking of a few things to say, I thought of my “Townie/Gownie” experiences over the years. Then I got thinking how I’d really gotten the chance to look at life from both sides now. The rural and the urban.

As God is my witness, as I arose to write a few notes, Judy Collins’ version of “Both Sides Now” came on the radio. I’d subsequently like to say that it’s life’s illusions I recall, and that I really don’t know life at all… but that would really be stretching it.

60 Minutes and Swing-State Success

I was surprised to see “60 Minutes” gather a handful of Conservatives and Liberals together in Swing-State Ohio, as we did in Wisconsin. The interviews were predictably feisty at first, with little agreed upon. The news magazine was shocked to see some friendships had formed, 6 months after their taping. Oddly enough, Democrats and Republicans were out shooting guns together, not to mention participating in other hobbies with each other.

The participants had found the 20% of things they could agree upon in life, then pursued them together with passion. A mindset I discovered in Friendship, Wisconsin as well.

Friendship in Friendship, Wisconsin?

Initially Red and Blue were wary about any joint interviews, so we met separately, then moved on to another city. Two weeks later, 4 of the 12 participants (2 Democrats, 2 Republicans) decided to meet at “Friendship Park” to talk things through. Both sides agreed that avoiding the topic of politics was no solution at all.

I asked these folks what I asked everyone in SWING-STATE: “What might bring us back together as citizens of Wisconsin and America?” This particular group found a few issues they could work together on, including opioid abuse and human trafficking. Across the state, the answers ranged from “climate change,” “term limits,” to “electing more Conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans.”

The most common responses for unity have been “a crisis” and “merely listening to one another a whole lot better.” One Party leader in Fond du Lac said that we may have to wait for less polarizing candidates.

In any case, our friends in Friendship (like those in the Buckeye State) not only listened to one another, but smiled and shook hands in the end. As is the case with most personal conflicts, sitting down and talking with the other person(s) is usually the best way to go.

Final Thoughts On Swing-State Wisconsin

Legendary Political Editor, Dick Ciccone, once told the late Milt Rosenberg (WGN) who our biggest global enemy actually is. The Chicago Tribune veteran told the “Extension 720” host that our biggest foe isn’t Russia, North Korea, China or any other foreign power today. He said our greatest current enemy is our own hyper-polarization, which hasn’t been this bad since The Civil War.

In this respect, Dick Ciccone agreed with one of our greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, who delivered one of his most famous speeches in 1858. As you recall, Mr. Lincoln assured us (as Scripture did) that “a house divided against itself cannot stand”(MATTHEW 12:25, MARK 3:25). Truer words have never been spoken.

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post SWING-STATE WISCONSIN: A Possible Bridge? first appeared on Swing State, The Series.

Election 2016 had all the drama a good story could hope for. It featured a Billionaire Reality-Star. A former First Lady/ Secretary-of-State. A self-avowed Socialist. And it offered conflict galore.

This lifelong Wisconsinite (or “Cheesehead,” if you will) had closely followed Chicago and Madison politics since the 1970s. But yours truly could never have anticipated what was coming in 2016, 2020 or even 2024!

A Desire To Keep Things Fair

Back at Beloit College (where I graduated in 1986), I considered myself an “Independent”– somebody who would vote for the best candidate, regardless of Party. I decided to stay neutral as director of “Swing-State,” desiring to give fair treatment to both Democrats and Republicans alike.

Initially, I was merely interested in traveling to Blue and Red Counties, in order to ask folks who they supported. Then, I became curious in asking them (in the words of Hillary Clinton) “what happened,” to get Donald Trump elected. The arc of the film kept pushing toward one, very important question. “Is harmony and compromise still possible in our hyper-polarized society?”

Poetically enough, we ended-up in a sleepy, little central village called “Friendship, Wisconsin” (Population: 725).

Reactions From Wisconsin Residents

You might imagine there were some interesting responses at “The Women’s March” in Madison, immediately after Donald Trump’s inauguration. I’m here to tell you, that you’d be absolutely correct!

Amidst the sea of pink, protest hats, one short-haired 20-Something approached our cameras with fury in her eyes. Ironically, she sounded like Barry Goldwater, as she barked at me about “neutrality being no virtue.” I told her I was taking a friendly, journalistic approach to the documentary, but she’d have no part of it.

My cinematographer eventually had to ask her to leave.

A somewhat contentious fellow came up to me at the same event, asking if I was with “The Breitbart Group.” It sounded vaguely familiar– and probably to the Right– but I had to assure him I was just a neutral filmmaker. Not the part of any group.

As we stood among hundreds of protesters, I drew solace from the fact Dan Klopp (my cinematographer) was from Madison and knew a ton of people. At one point, we were like the proverbial salmon, swimming against the the river’s current with our cameras, watching protesters flow by us on each side.

Suspicion on Both Sides

Later on in our filming (in Fond du Lac), GOP security at a Governor Scott Walker event kept asking us who we were. This, despite the fact that they had invited us in as part of the Press. We felt incredibly uncomfortable, as men with earpieces kept watching our cameras, and monitoring the footage therein.

All of this apprehension was (in retrospect) understandable, because the Media has become very disrespected by both sides of the political divide. Both Blue and Red voiced the need for a resurgence of “real journalists” in our society. They felt that the Press was pitting one side against the other, with the idea that conflict sells. “If It Bleeds, It Leads,” is still a common expression of the News Corporations these days.

The “Culture Wars” in Wisconsin

Through this film project, I’ve learned a lot about “The Culture Wars,” and Wisconsin’s part in it. According to Moral Psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, we’ve gotten to the point of demonizing people from different political persuasions. He wrote a seminal book on the topic of Blue/Red psychology in 2012 called, THE RIGHTEOUS MIND: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

Once we consider the other side as “evil,” we can justify any means to arrive at our “righteous” end. That could include voter fraud, extreme rudeness or outright violence, according to Haidt.

One wonders if Americans nowadays can maintain their core beliefs, while still remaining civil to one another. God knows the level of polarity has certainly tripled or quadrupled in our country, since the publication of Haidt’s book.

In my next post, we’ll look at a few more things that definitely work against efforts to bring modern-day Americans together. One of those things is the fact we’ve self-gerrymandered ourselves, both geographically and socially. Not only do we live in separate areas (according to our political proclivities), but we often find ourselves within self-made media echo-chambers, both online and off.

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post Swing-State Wisconsin: A Few Surprises! first appeared on Swing State, The Series.

The state became a Territory in 1836, A State in 1848. But much went on before those important events– events which appeared thousands of years after Wisconsin’s first inhabitants roamed the area.

Wisconsin’s Fascinating Native-Americans

The fact is, Native Americans occupied Wisconsin during Pre-Historic days, long before the French arrived in the 1600s. (And long before the first “British Invasion” in the 1700s).

The study of the state’s Indian tribes (past or present) would span several blogs. But suffice to say that you’d find many of their names quite familiar… “Chippewa,” “Ho-Chunk,” “Menominee,” “Potawatomi,” “Sauk,” “Fox,” et. al.

Paleo-Indians lived through the last glaciation period of Wisconsin, hunting large mammals like Bison, Mastodons and Mammoths. Later descendants established the first significantly-sized WI community in a place they called “Aztalan.”

In his travels with Louis Joliet through the area, “Father Jacques Marquette” first entered into his journal an Indian name which meant “this stream meanders through something red” (presumably describing the “Misconsing” River, running through the red bluffs of the Dells).

French explorer, La Salle, later misread Marquette’s “Misconsing,” calling it instead “Ouisconsing”… and the rest, as they say, is history. Oui, Oui! 

Immigrants and a Badger Named “Bucky”

About the time lead miners first arrived in the state, Congress decided to put a “W” at the beginning of the name, which stuck for the subsequent 2 hundred years. This is the moniker hard-working Czechs, Poles and other Eastern Europeans would have been familiar with (as well as more Socialist-minded Germans), as they arrived around the mid-1800s.

Fun fact about immigration from Northwestern Europe: just as Spanish and English are often printed on various types of things today, German and Norwegian accompanied English on forms, documents, and other items throughout the 1800s.

Here’s another fun fact about the 30th State admitted into the Union: we all know the mascot named “Bucky Badger.” But did you know his full name is actually “Buckingham Ulysses”?

… And did you also know that “The Badger State” was actually named after Wisconsin lead miners (often called “Badgers,” because of their propensity to burrow into hillsides and dig underground)?

Yes, it’s true… the state has its fair share of badgers (though this lifelong Wisconsinite might have seen only one over the decades).

According to estimates, every Wisconsin county, save 6, has reported an official badger population– a fact which is hard to pin-down, because these deceptively cute carnivores are predominantly only active at night.

Beyond being described as “elusive,” the other adjectives frequently attached to the badger are “fierce” and “relentless.”

Wisconsin adopted the white with black-striped mammal as its “state animal” in 1957… 130 years after lead miners first arrived in the state!

A Few Famous Things About Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s been well-known for many things over the years, including Mining, Lumber (plus associated paper mills), Cranberries and, of course, Dairy. It switched from predominantly harvesting wheat to producing dairy products back in the Civil War era.

Dairy-minded immigrants from New York helped change Wisconsin from “America’s Breadbasket” to “America’s Dairyland,” after the chinch bug and poor soil practices nearly devastated wheat production.

Since then, immigrants from all over the globe have contributed their unique talents to this place I call home. Just to travel to our state capital, Madison, is to experience diverse shopping and dining experiences, connected to places like Ethiopia, Thailand, Vietnam, and you-name-it.

Heck, if you travel to the South of “MadTown,” and enter Green County, you might discover a charming, throw-back place called “Little Switzerland” (also known as “New Glarus”). Here you can transport yourself into a totally different culture, as you visit Swiss buildings and festivals… seemingly from the old-world!

To round out our look at this fascinating place called “Wisconsin,” let’s look at a few more Fun Facts from The Wisconsin Historical Society (from which I drew some of my research for this piece).

A Few More Fun Facts about Wisconsin

• Nearly 21 million gallons of ice cream are consumed by Wisconsinites each year.
• Wisconsin is a leading producer of Ginseng in the United States.
• Green Bay is known as the “Toilet Paper Capital” of the world.
• The first ice cream sundae was concocted in Two Rivers in 1881.
• The Fox River is one of the few rivers in the nation that flows north.
• Practically all the natural lakes in Wisconsin have resulted from glaciers.
• According to Wisconsin stories, Wisconsin contains more ghosts per square mile than any other state in the nation.
• American Birkebeiner, the largest cross country ski race in the US, brings upwards of 5,000 competitors to Cable.
• The largest experimental aviation event in the world is the EAA Fly-In at Oshkosh.
• Sun Prairie’s sweet corn festival is one of the largest of its kind in the nation.
• It takes an average of 100 hours of fishing to catch a 33.4 inch muskie.
• The first circus in the US was in Delavan, Wisconsin.
• Sheboygan is the “Bratwurst Capital” of the world.
• More than 800,000 deer roam Wisconsin woods.
• Almost 1/3 of all Americans live within a 500 mile radius of Wisconsin/
• Door County has more shoreline than any other county in the US – over 250 miles.
• If all of the hunter’s on opening day of deer season in Wisconsin were grouped together, they would comprise the sixth largest army in the world.

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post Wisconsin: A Few Non-Cheesy Facts! first appeared on Swing State, The Series.

Sure, Wisconsin started Democratic (with obscure-sounding “Whig” and “Free-Soiler” influences as well). But it soon became known as the original “Home of the Republican Party.” The city of Ripon opened “The Little White Schoolhouse” in 1854, where the GOP first gathered. (WI’s special Swing-State nature started early on).

The Party was fiercely abolitionist. But it soon proved to be too strong in other areas, like lumber, mining and rail. Historians have noted that the 1840s Republicans created a “machine,” which could easily rival the Democratic one in Illinois today.

This monopolization lead to a very famous chapter in this Swing-State’s history, with the emergence of “The Progressive Party”– and its legendary leader, “Fighting Bob La Follette.”

This once staunch Republican fought against monopolistic practices, and established “The Wisconsin Idea”–– an idea that melded the immense brain-power of the University with the Capital up the road.

Both Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis, and Theodore Roosevelt referred to WI as “The Laboratory of Democracy,” for its creative experimentation and innovative ideas.

The latter suffered a bullet to the chest, when a crazed gunman shot him at a speaking event in Milwaukee. (The Progressive Party had nominated TR for President in 1912). The only things saving Teddy’s life, were his thick, pocketed speech and metal eye-glass case.

WI’s Fascinating Swing-State Past

Few may know this, but a Socialist mayor ran Milwaukee at the time of the attempted assassination. In fact, 3 consecutive, Socialist mayors ran Milwaukee– a unique fact boasted by no other city.

Frank Zeidler, the last of these mayors, oversaw the city from 1948-1960, and failed in a later campaign for Governor. In 1976, he ran for President under “The Socialist Party of America.” His loss predated Bernie Sanders’ Presidential run by many years.

At the same time of Zeidler’s zenith, a very famous, anti-Communist WI Senator named Joseph McCarthy was presenting his case against Hollywood actors, producers, et. al. This demonstrated, once more, the bi-polar nature of this Swing-State’s voting populace. Here’s some interesting footage:

As I mentioned earlier, I used to assume WI was a Blue state growing up, but I didn’t fully know my state’s intriguing history.

Senator William Proxmire set a record for the longest, consecutive voting record in Congress. But he was most famous for his annual “Golden Fleece Award,” which he sometimes showcased on the Johnny Carson Show. The friendly Proxmire once shook my hand, as I entered Camp Randall to see a Badger football game. I must have been 15.

Another Democrat giant, Governor Gaylord Nelson, founded the now beloved “Earth Day” — a day celebrated every April 22nd. Most politicians I remember early on were to the Left of center, but again, I didn’t see the whole picture. Like many young people, my grasp of the past wasn’t all it should have been. I guess my mind was on things like “MadTown” (as we called our capital), and all the associated excitement.

A Few Fun Facts:

• Wisconsin voted for 31 Republican Governors (many early in its history)
• Again, Ripon established the Republican Party in 1854.
• WI elected 13 Democratic Govs (including the current one, Tony Evers)
• It elected 1 Whig and 2 Progressive Govs (Bob La Follette and his son)
• It voted 25 times for a Republican President, 17 times for a Democrat
• WI voted for a Progressive Candidate ( Bob La Follette) once in 1924
• WI had some recent, razor-close elections, like Gore v. Bush in 2000
• Prior to Donald Trump, WI last went Red in 1984 (with Ronald Reagan)

Just a Snapshot of Wisconsin’s Past

Hopefully this brief, personal overview gives you a better idea of the bipolar, Swing-State nature of Wisconsin. It is, by no means, a complete record of the state’s rich history and numerous, memorable leaders.

Remember, my state elected LaFollette, McCarthy and Zeidler in the somewhat distant past. But it also later put Liberal Russ Feingold and Republican Tommy Thompson (the longest serving Governor) into office simultaneously.

It elected the first openly gay Senator in Tammy Baldwin, the same time it elected one of the most Conservative ones in Ron Johnson. Both have been in Congress for over 10 years.

Ron Johnson, Governor Scott Walker and Paul Ryan were part of a huge Red Wave in one of the state’s most recent chapters. The latter even became Speaker of the House under Donald Trump. Since then, WI has elected a Liberal Governor and 2 Supreme Court Justices (one Conservative, one Liberal).

Wrap Up

In short, why should anyone care about the history of Wisconsin? Well, as at least one Senatorial candidate has put it, “As Wisconsin goes, so goes the nation!” America’s Dairyland is one of several very important Swing-States, which have determined the outcome of recent, contentious elections.

In 2020, the DNC chose Milwaukee to host its Convention, but Covid closed the Fiserv Forum before that could happen. Next election, the GOP plans on hosting their Convention in the same city, at the same center.

With another possible rematch between Trump & Biden in 2024, all eyes will, once again, be on the Dairy State! Next election, it could prove to be the most vital Swing-State of all!!!

To see some details you may have missed in the last couple elections, please click on the link below. Here you can view my rare, historical documentation called “The Swing State Series.”

The 2nd Part in the Series recently won the “Peoples Choice Award” in my beloved state of Wisconsin! And it showed, yet again, the “Swingy” nature of this beautiful place that many of us call home. Thank you and please visit America’s Dairyland soon!

Bryan Oldenburg is a Filmmaker and Digital Marketer in Beloit, Wisconsin

The post Wisconsin: Always a Swing-State? first appeared on Swing State, The Series.