The Republican National Convention is this week and it’s no surprise that the GOP chose Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the host city.
Wisconsin was the tipping point state for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2016. That’s to say, it put the winner over the finish line in the Electoral College in back-to-back presidential elections. And both times, the difference maker was only about 20,000 votes. The state is all but certain to be pivotal again in 2024.
Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, which together with the rest of the Great Lakes makes up the largest freshwater system in the world. And if you want to experience that freshwater for yourself, Milwaukee has sandy beaches and even a Tiki Bar.
You may have heard Milwaukee referred to as Brew City. Today it has about 30 breweries within city limits, but its reputation for beer actually dates back to the 19th century when an influx of German immigrants came to the area and opened breweries. By one early count, in the middle of the 19th century, there was one tavern for every 40 Milwaukeeans. These days, Wisconsin as a whole has the third-most bars per resident of any state in the country.
In the late 1800s, native Germans made up more than a quarter of the city’s population, the largest concentration of a single immigrant group in any city in the country. The city still celebrates its German ancestry with a German Fest every summer.
In the second half of the 19th century, Milwaukee became an industrial city and to this day has the second-highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the country. As industry grew, workers began to unionize, and, in 1910, Milwaukee elected Emil Seidel as the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States.
Black Americans began moving to Milwaukee during the Great Migration in the early 20th century. The city’s industrial jobs were a draw for many of the millions of people who moved from the South to the North during that time. Today about 40 percent of Milwaukeeans are Black, the largest racial or ethnic group in the city.
Among the city’s many museums is the Wisconsin Black Historical Society where you can learn about history like the Casablanca House, which hosted Black touring jazz artists like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.
Milwaukee doesn’t mess around in the sports arena. It’s home to the Brewers baseball team, the Bucks basketball team, and the Milwaukee Admirals and Milwaukee Wave hockey and soccer teams. Harley-Davidson Motorcycles is also headquartered there.
When it comes to politics, Milwaukee has long been a Democratic stronghold surrounded by reliably Republican suburbs in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. But in recent years, that trend has been shaken up a bit. The core of Milwaukee hasn’t turned out for Democrats in quite the same numbers, and the suburban areas have swung away from Republicans to a noticeable degree.
In 2024, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin more broadly, is ground zero for the fight for the White House. And this week, Republicans are trying to sway some voters with a big show in the state’s largest city.