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Monday, Aug. 14, 2023

Has Wisconsin been decided by less than 1 percentage point in four of the last six presidential elections?

Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch
yes

The candidate who carried Wisconsin in the 2020, 2016, 2004 and 2000 presidential elections won the state by less than 1 percentage point.

2020: Democrat Joe Biden, 49.5%; Republican Donald Trump 48.8%.

2016: Trump, 47.2%; Democrat Hillary Clinton, 46.5%.

2004: Democrat John Kerry, 49.7%; Republican George W. Bush, 49.3%.

2000: Democrat Al Gore, 47.8%; Bush, 47.6%.

Democrat Barack Obama won Wisconsin by 6.7 percentage points in 2012 and 13.9 percentage points in 2008.

The first Republican presidential debate for the 2024 election is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.

Republicans will choose a nominee at their national convention in Milwaukee in July 2024. The Democrats’ convention is in Chicago in August 2024.

Election experts say Wisconsin is one of a handful of battleground states that could decide the 2024 presidential contest.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

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