Presidential campaign heats up in northern forests

There are less than 50 days left until the presidential election on November 5th.

The presidential election is heating up.

Local party members have been campaigning heavily around the North Woods.

Lillis Raboin is on duty during the day at the Vilas County Democrats Mobile Headquarters in Eagle River.

I met him while he was distributing political banners and chatting with people who came to his caravan.

“They are very, very, very excited about our candidates,” he said.

Raboin said the enthusiasm for the Democratic candidates is immeasurable, partly due to the recent Democratic National Convention and the debate between Trump and Harris.

This year, their mobile centers were renewed.

“It’s a bit of a pain that we don’t have a building like we sometimes have in the past, but I think it’s a creative idea and I’m all for it. We also have a good roster of volunteers,” he explained.

He feels that by having a mobile hub they increase their visibility.

Raboin said Vilas County is known as a Republican district, so every vote counts.

“A tiny, tiny change, a few votes in Vilas County can really matter. So, while we recognize that this is known as a very red area, so it’s a very Republican area, it’s not just that, and every vote we can get will help. So, you know, that’s our goal,” he explained.

In Merrill, the Lincoln County Republican Party has an office that is visited by many people.

They distribute political banners and merchandise.

This week, the party’s Vice Chairman Greg Hartwig said they were making handmade MAGA cookies.

“Right now the excitement is out there, and people are bringing things to us. Cookies have been donated for us, donations. Someone else donated a mug with Trump on it,” he said.

There is a lot of interest.

“We’ve had all kinds of people come and talk to us and we’re getting signs. And I registered, I even registered a voter there, and a lot of Republicans are talking about early voting. I hadn’t heard of that four years ago,” he said.

As of Friday, 1,472 applications for absentee ballots had been received in Lincoln County.

They campaigned at the North Central Wisconsin Gun Collectors Association expo a few weeks ago and had a fleet of Trump boats on Lake Alexander in Merrill this summer, Hartwig said.

He says the excitement is high

“People are very enthusiastic about it,” he said.

The presidential election is on November 5. If you are voting by absentee ballot, you must request your ballot by October 31.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can check it out this link.

You will also be able to register at the polls on election day.