New polls show Joe Biden with a solid double-digit lead in Wisconsin and it could be directly tied into a coronavirus outbreak in the state. ABC News reports:
Biden leads Trump by 57-40% among likely voters in Wisconsin, a state that’s now reported to be third in the nation in per capita COVID-19 cases, with a 53% increase in average daily cases in the past two weeks, a record number of hospitalizations and a 112% jump in deaths. That compares with a closer 52-46% in mid-September.
Yesterday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 5,262 new cases and 64 deaths. That was nearly double the number of cases and a more than 600% increase in the number of deaths from the day before.
The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel writes:
Wisconsin’s two-month-long outbreak is one of the worst in the country, and as the state repeatedly breaks daily case records, health experts expect hospitalizations and deaths to continue rising.
Governor Tony Evers said, “There’s no way to sugarcoat it: We are facing an urgent crisis and there is an imminent risk to you, your family members, your friends, your neighbors, and the people you care about.”
And yet Donald Trump held a rally (a potential super spreader) in West Salem, Wisconsin Tuesday night. And despite the growing COVID crisis there, he tried to gaslight his supporters saying, “COVID, COVID. You know when they’re going to stop talking about it so much? November 4th.”
Hello from Trump's rally in Wisconsin. Large crowd, no social distancing, very few masks. pic.twitter.com/lv2TIS3UUF
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) October 27, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence is also set to visit Wisconsin today, but the Governor has made it clear that no rallies should be held right now.
We’ve heard story after story of folks who wish they would’ve taken this seriously and taken precautions sooner—they didn’t think it would happen to them, and then it did. So, please, don’t risk it. Stay home, Wisconsin.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) October 27, 2020
As COVID cases rise in the state, Biden’s numbers have risen too. This would suggest Trump’s dismissal of coronavirus isn’t a winning strategy in the state. It’s also unclear why, with such a large gap in the polling, Trump and Pence continue to put so many campaign resources into the state. Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes remarked, “While a responsible president would look at this situation and say we are going to do everything we can to assist the people of Wisconsin… but he’s not, he’s showing up at these reckless rallies and not only is he spreading misinformation, he’s also spreading the virus.”
"Covid is running rampant through the state," says Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. "We had our first 100,000 cases, it took seven and half months to get to that point. We got our second 100,000 cases in a mere 36 days … We are in a crisis right now." https://t.co/vGGpD8BoEA pic.twitter.com/9VIbPVyCCE
— CNN (@CNN) October 28, 2020
Watch more from the NBC in Milwaukee on the crisis in the state above.
*This post contains opinion and analysis