Wisconsin’s Role In Presidential Election, Wisconsin Life, The History Of The Olympics

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The Olympics games start later this week. We take a look at the history of the games, and whether there is future for them in the midst of scandals and other serious concerns. On Wisconsin Life, an author issues a rallying cry to take up pen and paper and start writing letters again. And we look at Wisconsin’s role in the upcoming presidential election.

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  • Is Wisconsin In Play For The 2016 Presidential Election?

    With less than 100 days to go until the election, both of the leading presidential candidates will make a push for Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes. But given the state has gone Democratic in the previous seven presidential cycles, some are starting to wonder if the purple state is a shade closer to blue.

    “l think there’s a general sense that Wisconsin is going to still go Democratic for the presidential election, but it’s such a weird and wacky election cycle anything is possible,” said Matt DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal state capitol reporter.

    However, the recent travel plans from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign is a pretty good indication Republicans see Wisconsin as a battleground state.

    Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence made his first solo campaign stop last week in Waukesha, an area of the state thought to be crucial for the conservative base. And Trump himself plans to campaign in Green Bay on Friday, his first stop in the state since the April primary, the Associated Press reports.

    “These are signs that the campaigns are looking at Wisconsin as an important state,” DeFour said.

    Voters will get a better snapshot of the race next week when the Marquette University Law School Poll gets published, DeFour said. The previous Marquette poll, taken before both of the parties’ conventions, showed the race was tightening up. However, a new CBS News poll shows Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton got a four-point bounce after the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, compared to a two-point bump for Trump after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

    DeFour said Wisconsin might be seen as one of the top swing states, but it’s still close enough to warrant plenty of attention from both leading candidates and their surrogates.

  • Wisconsin Life: The Lost Art Of Letter Writing

    On today’s Wisconsin Life we’ll celebrate the lost art of letter writing. An author issues a rallying cry to take up pen and paper and start writing letters again.

  • A Global History Of The Olympics

    As the 2016 Olympics in Brazil begin, we look at the global history of the Olympic Games, from their modern beginnings in Athens to the present day.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Karl Christenson Producer
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Matthew DeFour Guest
  • Simon Garfield Guest
  • David Goldblatt Guest