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Democrat Tammy Baldwin details recipe for running in a swing state after victory in Trump-won Wisconsin

Democrat Tammy Baldwin details recipe for running in a swing state after victory in Trump-won Wisconsin

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., successfully won re-election in Wisconsin all while President-elect Donald Trump simultaneously flipped the state back to red in the presidential election.  As to how she did it, the Democrat attributes much of her win to her “72-county strategy.” Baldwin made sure during her campaign to traverse the entire state, venturing far from the two large blue enclaves of Milwaukee and Dane counties.  “I think showing up matters, listening matters,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “And so I go, and I really listen and get to know the challenges and aspirations of people all over the state, rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas.” Baldwin won by a few tens of thousands of votes in the state, clinching victory by roughly the same margin as Trump.  RFK JR’S ABORTION ‘ISSUE’: SENATE GOP PLANS TO SCRUTINIZE TRUMP HHS PICK’S POSITION According to her campaign, she did more than 250 events in Wisconsin in 2024 alone. She also hosted several targeted tours during her campaign, including her Dairyland Tour and her Rural Leaders for Tammy Tour. Further, Baldwin’s campaign microtargeted rural communities to deliver content regarding her agricultural work.  But her rigorous travel is not the only thing that sealed the deal for her. The senator acknowledged that people can go everywhere, but they also need to effectively engage voters in each place they travel to.  One thing she noted is that she’s “had years to earn the trust of Wisconsin voters,” referencing the short few months that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris had to turn out voters for her in the state.  Baldwin also said she convenes roundtables and forums on relevant issues while she travels in Wisconsin. “So I’ve done that on, say, the fentanyl and opioid epidemic, bringing together first responders, public health officials, concerned community members to talk about what does the epidemic look like in this community, in this area of the state? What resources do you need? What are your biggest worries?” INCOMING SENATE DEM ELISSA SLOTKIN TORCHES IDENTITY POLITICS IN 2024 AUTOPSY: ‘GO THE WAY OF THE DODO’ She also held events geared toward agricultural issues, she noted.  Baldwin notably credits, in part, her work on agricultural issues with her re-election win. In early October, Baldwin earned the endorsement of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors, which was a significant achievement for a Democrat in a statewide election.  “They cited a number of different measures that I either championed or actually got into law,” she said.  The senator pointed to her Dairy Business Innovation Act, which provides small grants to various dairy producers and processors.  “I went this past spring to a particular farm that had received one of these grants, and they had also invited several other farmers and processors who had received grants to show me what they were able to do with these grants in order to grow their business and improve their bottom line,” she said. RICK SCOTT OUTLINES CONSENSUS FOR ‘DRAMATIC CHANGE’ TO SENATE OPERATION IN POST-MCCONNELL ERA The Wisconsin Democrat also pointed to the large manufacturing sector in her state and attributed her push for “buy America” rules in pieces of legislation as helping her win some of those voters.  On whether her campaign is a model for other Democrats, specifically those in swing states, she said, “I think it is something that would be helpful to many public officials.” Baldwin added that she realized the need to travel Wisconsin to this extent during her first Senate campaign: “I had been in the House of Representatives representing, as you know, seven counties in [the] south-central part of the state. I had to learn Wisconsin as I was running.” MATT GAETZ ‘WORKING THE PHONES,’ SPEAKING TO GOP SENATORS DESPITE DIFFICULT CONFIRMATION ODDS “And so traveling to do that learning was extremely important, being exposed to, you know, the timber industry and the north woods. We didn’t have a big timber industry in the south-central part of the state.” The Midwestern senator also said this was the first time she heard from Wisconsinites that elected officials hadn’t been spending much time in certain parts of the state. “One thing I will say that I hear from constituents when I show up is just like, ‘I don’t remember the last time we had a U.S. senator visit our community, and especially not a Democrat,’” she said. “It’s like, you know, the timber industry folks saying, ‘I don’t think we’ve ever had a senator pay so much attention to us,’” she added.

Drug-laden terrorists on India’s western, northern frontiers

Drug-laden terrorists on India’s western, northern frontiers

The narco-terror operations conducted from Pakistan, was a few decades back, dependent on camels and carrier pigeons to human traffickers and underground pipes and tunnels being used to ferry drugs and other goods across the heavily guarded Indo-Pak border.

Trump team ‘confident’ Senate Republicans will approve cabinet selections

Trump team ‘confident’ Senate Republicans will approve cabinet selections

President-elect Trump’s team is confident that Senate Republicans will approve his cabinet selection – despite some of the picks raising eyebrows from Republicans and Democrats alike. A Trump transition official confirmed to Fox News that the president-elect is “confident that Senate Republicans will hold the line.” “President Trump is confident that Senate Republicans will hold the line and respect the will of the American people by approving his cabinet nominees,” the official said. The official said that Trump is “very happy” with the vice president-elect, saying that Vance is “laser focused on already getting the ball rolling on his highly-qualified nominees.” TRUMP PICKING CABINET AT BREAKNECK SPEED COMPARED TO 2016 Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.” “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt previously told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy rollout of Cabinet picks.  WATCH: Trump’s most contentious choice so far has been Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general. The pick came as a surprise to many since the firebrand does not have any prior law enforcement experience and faces misconduct allegations. Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which subpoenaed him as recently as September for an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor.  LOYALTY MATTERS: TRUMP PICKS ALLIES AND SUPPORTERS TO FILL OUT HIS ADMINISTRATION Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and had told the panel he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in its probe. Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after Trump made the announcement.  On Wednesday, Vance and Gaetz were spotted leaving the Capitol. A source familiar previously told Fox News Digital that Gaetz is “working the phones” to address concerns from GOP senators ahead of his confirmation hearings next year. He is also making the rounds with Vance on Capitol Hill to meet with senators directly.  “The meetings have been productive with AG nominee Gaetz listening to senators’ thoughts on the role of the DOJ and the confirmation process. Gaetz is looking forward to meeting with more senators throughout this process on the Hill,” a Trump transition official told Fox News Digital.  Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.