Wisconsin. Western Wisconsin yesterday in
his first visit to the state since dropping out of the
presidential race more than a month ago. Here and now.
Reporter Aditi Debnath was ther. >> Nestled in the heart of
Wisconsin's driftless Area, the city of Westby could be
considered an unlikely place for a visit from the president of
the United States. But Westby population, 2300, welcomed
President Joe Biden to the Vernon Electric Cooperative all
the same. >> This marks Biden's first trip
to Wisconsin since dropping out of the presidential race and
endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the job.
>> Vice President Kamala Harris fought like hell for all of you
and for the future worthy of your aspirations.
president's efforts to highlight his Investing in America agenda,
including new investments into rural electric cooperatives like
the one that hosted him and includes Dairyland Power
$580 million to develop and purchase solar power, wind power
energy stores right here in Wisconsin, and all across the
Midwest. Just last week, former President Donald Trump held a
town hall style event in LA Crosse, just 30 miles from
Westby. He used the opportunity to criticize the Biden
administration and promote his own campaign.
the worst president. >> Biden also took time to
criticize the former president's administration.
largest annual deficit in American history, $3 trillion.
>> The dueling visits from Biden and Trump highlight Wisconsin's
status as a key battleground state. Allison Prasch is an
expert on presidential campaign strategies.
accident that Biden is the one being deployed to a community 30
miles away from where Trump just was.
>> She says parallel campaign visits are an old strategy, and
sending Biden instead of Harris to a rural area was a smart
choice. >> Biden can speak to that
community in a way that the actual nominee cannot in 2020.
>> Nearly half of Wisconsin voters came from small towns and
rural areas, with a majority supporting Trump. Westby is in
Vernon County, which voted for Trump in 2020, but only by a few
hundred votes. Biden's choice to visit Westby may be an attempt
to narrow this gap. >> This is becoming a tradition
for me. I've come to see Joe Biden every time he's been in
town. enthusiastic about the high
profile visit, especially now that Vice President Kamala
Harris is the nominee. >> We all would have voted for
Joe if that was the choice, but this adds more energy,
enthusiasm and a new message instead of same old, same old.
>> Do you think he made a good decision dropping out and
endorsing Kamala Harris? very concerned in the time
leading up to that decision that we were really losing a lot of
ground. their campaign efforts in
Wisconsin, it's clear that in a tight race, votes in every
corner of the state matter in corner of the state matter in