President Joe Biden recently visited the battleground state of Wisconsin in a strategic move aimed at highlighting his administration’s workforce achievements compared to those of his predecessor. This visit to Racine, a suburban area of Wisconsin, bolstered his claim of facilitating industrial job creation amidst the poll numbers favoring him in the swing state.
Biden’s Visit to Wisconsin: A Power Move?
Biden chose to highlight Microsoft’s announcement of its intention to construct a $3.3 billion data center in Racine, heralding it as a major job creation initiative. This development is estimated to create approximately 2,000 jobs, an achievement the President was eager to contrast with the failed promises of the previous administration.
 The Ghost of Foxconn’s Failed Venture
In a direct jab at former President Donald Trump, Biden drew attention to the 2018 ribbon-cutting ceremony for a proposed Foxconn facility on the same site. Trump had boasted that the facility would create 10,000 jobs, but it was never built, leaving many locals disappointed. “My predecessor made promises which he broke more than kept, and left a lot of people behind in communities like Racine,” Biden said. “Under my watch, we make promises and we keep promises.”
Increasing Lead in Crucial Swing State
Biden’s visit coincided with the release of a new Quinnipiac University poll showing the President with a 6% lead over Trump in Wisconsin. This is a strong achievement for the Democratic administration considering that Biden only carried the state by a modest 20,000 votes in the 2020 elections.
Trump’s Underwhelming Performance in Indiana
The Biden campaign’s swing comes a day after Trump’s disappointing primary showing in Indiana. Despite being the undisputed frontrunner, Trump only managed to secure 78% of the GOP votes against Nikki Haley’s 22%, even though Haley withdrew from the race two months ago.
Affluent and highly-educated Republican regions demonstrated clear signs of unrest with Trump, with Haley achieving 34% votes in Indianapolis’ Marion County and suburban Hamilton County.
A Divided Republican Electorate
Some political analysts view the surprising support for Haley as an indication that Trump has not managed to fully unite the Republican electorate, which may pose a challenge in his future campaigns. Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, suggested that “it can’t be good news for Trump.”
Trump’s Legal Woes
Meanwhile, Trump has lashed out about how his Manhattan trial related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels is interfering with his campaign. However, there were no public campaign events on Wednesday, with no court proceedings scheduled either.
In sum, President Biden’s visit to Wisconsin served not only to underline the contrast between his administration’s achievements in job creation, but also to highlight the rifts in the Republican camp. Coupled with his improving poll numbers in the crucial swing state, the President’s visit indicates a continued strategic push towards consolidating support and winning hearts in the coming elections.