A Close Race in Wisconsin

Tammy Baldwin vs. Leah Vukmir

In the upcoming Senate election, Democrat incumbent Tammy Baldwin is attempting to get re-elected. Her opponent, Leah Vukmir, is trying to secure another seat for the Republican Party. The election is crucial due to the fact Wisconsin is a purple state. This means Wisconsin can swing either way, and is not consistent with voting for Democrats or Republicans. Two of the most debated topics between the two candidates are healthcare and how to handle the opioid crisis Wisconsin is facing.

The concern about the opioid crisis is how many people are dying weekly from overdoses. Baldwin addresses the issue by making a personal connection, telling voters she has experience with this problem, using personal pronouns such as “me” and “I”, when telling her audience of voters that “her mother struggled with prescription pills.” Not only was her mother was addicted, but she claims to have worked with Democrats and Republicans to resolve the issue at hand. Baldwin also states she has tried to get funding for the issue, and will continue to do so.

Vukmir on the other hand addresses the opioid crisis in a different manner. In her TV ad, she combats Baldwin’s personal connection on the issue by shocking voters with unsettling information. A VA hospital in Tomah, WI where veterans were “dangerous opioids were prescribed at alarming rates.” She also states Tammy Baldwin knew about these prescriptions and chose to ignore it and do nothing about it. These facts should scare undecided people into not voting for her, or convince those who have previously voted for her to not vote for Baldwin again.

The personal connection Baldwin makes will be more effective to a larger voting group because major Wisconsin cities like Madison and Milwaukee are more liberal, which is where her ads is targeted at. This makes her more effective in garnering support, because more people with empathize with her and ignore facts. This is because her personal experience makes her seem more knowledgeable on the issue.

Another highly debated issue by candidates Vukmir and Baldwin is healthcare if Wisconsin should repeal Obamacare and find a new replace it, or instead keep it in place? Baldwin secures a retired nurse with a preexisting condition for one of her television ads to discuss the cruciality of healthcare that covers preexisting conditions. In the advertisement, the nurse who also has a preexisting condition, describes the situation as “upsetting that Leah Vukmir supports letting insurance companies go back to denying coverage to people.” Having someone who not only has experience in the medical field, but can relate to the issue at hand again appeals to the pathos of the audience.

Republican Leah Vukmir does not specifically address the issue, but keeps it vague. This works to her advantage. Her opinion on Obamacare is that it needs to be repealed, but does not delve into specificities on a replacement issue. Vukmir recently said that it would be wise to “allow insurers to offer a wider variety of plans”, which theorhetically includes covering those with preexisting conditions. Here, ambiguity is used to not turn off a certain audience group. By keeping her promises vague, Vukmir is able to leave it open to interpretation, which allows some to believe nothing will happen to those currently covered by Obamacare. It is effective in the sense that it allows the candidate to be vague without specifically including a plan.

Although both candidates use different approaches to appeal to the eligible voters in Wisconsin, I think Tammy Baldwin will win because she appeals to pathos more and has held the seat for so long.

Edit: Now that the election has taken place, Tammy Baldwin yet again secures herself a spot in the Senate. Baldwin won 55.6% of the vote, and Vukmir lost, only getting 44.6% of the vote.