MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democrats are fighting to beat back Republican gains across the Midwest as the 2018 primary season roars through Wisconsin and Minnesota, two states where President Donald Trump’s appeal among working-class voters threatens to upend decadeslong political trends this fall and beyond.
Tuesday’s primary contests for governor, the U.S. Senate and the House will measure the strength of Trump’s fiery coalition against the energy of the Democratic resistance. At the same time, accusations of domestic violence involving the Democratic National Committee’s second-in-command could undermine any blue wave in Minnesota, a state still healing from scandal.
In all, four states hosted primary elections Tuesday as the 2018 primary season neared its final chapter. All but 10 states will have picked their candidates for November’s general election by the time all votes are counted in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut. While the full political battlefield isn’t quite set, the stakes are clear: Democrats are working to topple Republican control of Congress and governors’ offices across the nation.
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, predicted that Tuesday would offer fresh evidence of a blue wave that would sweep Democrats into power this November.
“Trump has managed to alienate every form of human life on the planet,” Inslee told The Associated Press when asked about his party’s appeal among white working-class voters. “They’re tired of this chaos.”
Democrats appear particularly motivated in Wisconsin, where eight candidates have lined up for the chance to take on Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a two-term incumbent who has warned his party about the prospect of Democratic gains.
Walker’s strong anti-union policies made him a villain to Democrats long before Trump’s rise. State schools chief Tony Evers, who has clashed with Walker at times, entered the primary as the best-known of the Democratic challengers.
Once a target of Trump criticism, Walker gained the president’s endorsement in a tweet Monday night calling him “a tremendous Governor who has done incredible things for that Great State.” But Trump’s persistent attacks on Wisconsin-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson put Republican candidates on their heels in recent days, Walker among them.
Trump tweeted Sunday that it was “great” that many Harley owners planned to boycott the Milwaukee company if its manufacturing moves overseas, continuing a monthslong tariff dispute.
Walker said Monday he opposed the Harley boycott.
His Democratic opponents embraced the…
