Wisconsin Election At A Glance: Presidential Primary Race

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin as a battleground state in the 2020 election is a fact that has been well-established. President Donald Trump defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin by less than 23,000 votes in 2016. That's a razor-thin 0.7 percentage margin of victory.

Trump appears as the lone candidate on the Republican primary ballot. Things get more complicated on the Democratic side of things.

Voters saw a total of 12 Democratic primary candidates on the ballot, but only two: former Vice President Joe Biden, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders still effectively in the race — and experts say Sanders is losing ground in the Badger State.

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“Up until Biden got his mojo going, it was presumed Sanders would win the state again,” said Patrick Guarasci, a Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist in a Politico report, referencing Sanders' 2016 primary victory over Clinton. “He was the most organized here, he had the most vibrant following. A lot has changed in the last month.”

According to the latest Marquette University Law School poll conducted on April 1, Biden held a small lead over Sanders in November through January. Sanders even moved into first place in February.

According to the poll, those results are much different now: poll respondents pegged Biden at 62 percent and Sanders at 34 percent.

Pollsters say that Biden received 65 percent and Sanders 32 percent based on likely or current voters.

With the new coronavirus changing the dynamics of this election, Marquette Poll officials are a little more skeptical than usual about forecasting the April 7 election.

"Given the uncertainty created by historically high levels of absentee voting and the unknown levels of election day turnout, these findings should be viewed with more than the usual caution," officials said.

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