We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at info@hngnews.com or call us at 608.837.2521 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWAUNAKEE (WMTV) - The Village of Waunakee is warning of many traffic delays Tuesday ahead of Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rally Former President Trump will be speaking in Waunakee on Tuesday at Dane Manufacturing The Village of Waunakee said traffic impacts can be expected between 11:30 a.m The public is encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes during this time Updates will be provided throughout the day from the Village of Waunakee via social media This will be the very first time the former President has ever made a stop in Dane County and it will be the first stop for any Republican presidential candidate since Bob Dole in September of 1996 Crowds began forming in front of the venue early Monday evening ahead of Tuesday’s rally “Were kind of diehards like you go big or go home,” Nass said Dane Manufacturing is a metal fabricator that has a long history of hosting Republican candidates and officeholders and Trump is expected to speak starting at 1p.m Trump is expected to talk about the economy which is one of the biggest topics of his campaign Trump’s campaign also announced that he will be speaking in Milwaukee Tuesday following his visit to Waunakee The rally there will be held at Discovery World the former President is expected to talk about the economy Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Badger State Governor Tony Evers called Trump “a disaster” for Wisconsin and they’re going to reject him again in November,” Evers said “Vice President Harris is the only candidate in this race fighting to lower costs Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is also visiting Milwaukee on Tuesday to discuss Harris’ economic plan Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app -- A structure fire Wednesday night has left a person said the Dane County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday the Waunakee Police Department and Waunakee EMS responded to a reported structure fire at 10:15 p.m A witness called 911 stating there was a fire coming from a rural home Officers and deputies arrived to the 6300 block of Meffert Road Crews searched the residence Thursday and found a deceased person at the residence the Madison Area Fire Investigation Team and the Division of Criminal Investigation are at the scene to continue investigating the cause of the fire These additional teams assisted with the scene Wednesday night: WAUNAKEE - Steven Matthew “Stevie” Hellenbrand WI to Mitch and Linda (Wagner) Hellenbrand Steven graduated from Waunakee High School in 2012 and was employed at ABS He worked many different jobs ranging from Steven lived life to the fullest and loved to have a good time He would give the shirt off his back for anyone and making everyone he knew laugh and feel loved But his true loves and his pride and joy were his two daughters Lilian Flowers and Grace Hellenbrand who meant more than the world to him Steven “Stevie” is survived by his parents Lilian Flowers and Grace Hellenbrand; their mother Steven is further survived by his grandmother He is preceded in death by his grandparents Ronald and Joanne Hellenbrand; grandfather A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday from 1:00PM until 5:00PM at Springfield Corners In lieu of flowers the family is requesting a donation to “Steven Hellenbrand’s Children’s Memorial Fund” sent to 811 Presidio Drive https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SMHchildrensmemorial To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com you will always be in my heart." -Gandhi Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SMHchildrensmemorial To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com Supporters of former president Donald Trump carry a “Make America Great Again” placard as they walk home from Trump’s campaign rally at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee A young supporter of Donald Trump gets his photo taken as the former president speaks in the background on Tuesday at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee Former President Donald Trump addresses a crowd Tuesday at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee marking the first time a Republican presidential nominee has visited Dane County during the general election campaign in over a quarter century Supporters of Donald Trump cheer and take photos and videos as he takes the stage at a campaign rally at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee Former President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of 500 supporters at a rally on Oct Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by an enthusiastic crowd as she takes the stage for her campaign rally at Alliant Energy Center in Madison president of Teamsters Joint Council 39 applauds the presidential candidate from the stage after introducing her Democrats have dominated elections in Madison and Dane County Republicans say they need to change that to help Trump win in November Former President Donald Trump did something in Waunakee last week that hasn’t happened since the Macarena craze was sweeping the nation: He became the first Republican presidential nominee in a quarter century to visit Dane County ahead of a general election It’s been 26 years since Bob Dole graced the tarmac at Dane County Regional Airport Republicans hope Trump’s visit can help prevent the same fate Dole met in 1996 when he failed to win Wisconsin and the presidency Republicans are under no illusion that Trump can win one of Wisconsin’s most dominant Democratic strongholds But party leaders are convinced his key to winning Wisconsin and possibly his return to the White House is minimizing his margin of defeat in Dane County chair of the Republican Party of Dane County said that GOP candidates need to hit at least 23% of the vote in Dane County to have a chance statewide where he received a total of over 68,000 votes Johnson went on to defeat Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes by fewer than 37,000 votes which he said would put Trump in a good place in a state that could decide the U.S Maly is convinced that means he will win Wisconsin more investment is happening here than before we have to do better in Dane County as Republicans.” The idea makes a lot of sense to some observers “It is risky for the Republicans to write off Dane County entirely,” said Barry Burden a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison The roughly 78,000 votes Trump received in Dane County in 2020 is the third most he garnered in any county in Wisconsin behind only Milwaukee County and Waukesha County But Trump received far fewer votes in the county in both 2016 and 2020 than GOP nominees John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 And while the total number of votes Republicans received in 2020 increased from 2016 their percentage of the vote has been falling amid population growth in the Madison area Biden received 42,500 votes more than Hillary Clinton did in 2016 Republicans have been trying to meet the moment after years of demoralizing losses The resources invested in Dane County during the 2024 election cycle outpaces past years Demand for signs is at levels Maly said he has not seen previously particularly in suburban areas like DeForest The county party has raised over $500,000 in 2024 alone 10 times what it raised in the first nine months of 2020 That includes spending thousands on digital advertising yard signs and an event last month with former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard That has been matched by higher investment in mail advertising from the Republican Party of Wisconsin blanketing mail boxes for residents across the county And then there is Trump’s rally in Waunakee the culmination of months of lobbying the former president’s campaign on the part of Maly “I think he’s got to come and really tell the people ‘I want your vote I’m here in Dane County because I’m going to compete for your votes all over the state of Wisconsin,’” Thompson told reporters Tuesday The Trump campaign initially tried to hold an event at the World Dairy Expo taking place this week at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison But Expo organizers “humbly declined” the entreaties saying they wanted to avoid politicizing the event Trump’s speech was to largely focus on the economy and agriculture But he spent the bulk of the first half of the speech talking about foreign policy in light of a large-scale Iranian missile attack on Israel Tuesday morning There was a risk of “World War Three,” Trump said “Ever since Iran has been exporting terror all over the world “The whole Middle East has been unraveling and the whole world has been unraveling since we left office.” When he pivoted to economic issues, Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ tax proposals, arguing they will harm the economy. Harris, in her campaign for president, has proposed raising taxes on corporations but has pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $400,000 said Biden and Harris were negligent by not wanting to continue tax cuts passed under his administration “would start the inflation disaster all over again.” He also touted his proposals to end taxes on tipped wages “If you want Washington bureaucrats to keep their greedy hands out of your pockets … if you want to have a country that is strong and prosperous and great Trump also extensively talked about bringing down energy costs and bringing back American manufacturing jobs He falsely claimed he had been endorsed by the Teamsters; the union remained neutral in the election though they released polling showing many rank-and-file workers backed Trump "We want factories to be built in our country We're here to bring the auto business where it was 50 years ago,” Trump said the company that hosted Trump’s appearance watching a candidate he supported coming to his workplace and he used the day off granted to all of the workers to come out and show his support He has seen the number of signs supporting Biden and Harris dwindle on his block recently and he didn’t back down when asked about whether Trump had sizable backing in Dane County “It is because of the things he stands for.” Many in Republican circles were frustrated that gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels didn’t do more to contest Dane County in 2022 Tony Evers by slightly fewer than 100,000 votes director of the Marquette University Law School Poll noted that failing to compete in Dane County would resign Republicans in the Madison area to falling further and further behind But he also compared their goals of gaining a foothold in Dane County to Democratic efforts to roll back Republican dominance in suburban Milwaukee Washington and Ozaukee counties have been seeing Democratic shifts for years “It's not something that automatically happens in a single night or single election cycle,” Franklin said it doesn't happen without Republicans trying to make it happen the state GOP putting more effort into organizing here in the county those are all things that may pay some dividends this cycle but could become the foundation for building a more robust Republican Party here in Dane County.” But Democrats have touted their high levels of engagement in the Madison area as well The 15 Democratic field offices in Dane County are the most in any county in Wisconsin Harris visited Madison for the first time since securing the Democratic nomination last month selling out the Alliant Energy Center on Sept chair of the Democratic Party of Dane County said enthusiasm in support of Harris dwarfed the backing Biden drummed up four years ago The party has had conversations with plenty of “disaffected” Republicans turned off by the Jan “I don't see any evidence that Trump is more popular in Dane County in 2024 than he was in 2016 or 2020,” Sabor said “I don't think that the voter turnout in Dane County is going to be particularly higher for him.” If the GOP wants to move the needle over the long term in Dane County Republican elected officials might need to lay off attacks on the University of Wisconsin-Madison state workers and other groups who are closely tied to the county And he pointed to a unique wrinkle of Dane County’s political geography that sets it apart from the Milwaukee area: the suburbs While suburban Milwaukee has been a reliable base for GOP support particularly in comparison to the heavily Democratic city Out of the 60-plus municipalities located entirely in Dane County only one — the town of Dane — voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 But Franklin said there is a broader point to the former president’s visit “I'm not sure that there's any place in the county that is especially rich for (‘Make America Great Again’) Trump-supporting Republicans,” Franklin said “But showing up and making the effort is a way to rally those who do support him throughout the county “Whether they're going to the event or not and it'll make the point that Republicans live here too.” acknowledged that one visit from Trump would need to be just the start He encouraged Trump’s pick for vice president to make a trip to Madison as well and argued more investment is still needed they need to send everybody here,” he said Andrew Bahl joined the Cap Times in September 2023 covering Wisconsin politics and government He is a University of Wisconsin-Madison alum and has covered state government in Pennsylvania and Kansas You also can support Andrew’s work by becoming a Cap Times member Become a Cap Times member today and enjoy great benefits Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device (AP) — Former President Donald Trump spent more than an hour ahead of Tuesday night’s vice-presidential debate campaigning in a Democratic county that is crucial to Kamala Harris’ hopes for winning the key battleground state of Wisconsin Republican Trump appeared at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee a suburb of Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County Trump had never campaigned in Dane County nor visited as president also criticizing Democratic nominee Harris on issues while intermittently pivoting to outgoing President Joe Biden “I’m asking every citizen to join me in launching sort of a new golden age for America,” Trump told hundreds inside Dane Manufacturing a metal fabricator that has a long history of hosting Republican candidates and officeholders Trump was to hold an event at a museum in Milwaukee Wisconsin’s largest city and home to the state’s largest number of Democratic voters and second-largest number of Republicans His appearance there was also meant to give him reach into the city’s conservative suburbs a part of Wisconsin where his support has softened but where he must do well to win Trump is expected to speak in Milwaukee at 6 p.m he held a rally in western Wisconsin where he blamed Harris for crimes committed by people in the country illegally Both of his planned stops were ahead of Tuesday’s debate in New York between Trump’s running mate JD Vance and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is Wisconsin’s fastest-growing county and an economic engine for the state fueled by jobs in the health care and tech industries It is also home to the University of Wisconsin Dane County’s population grew by about 30,000 people between 2016 and 2020 It has gone up by another 13,000 since then especially given that nearly 90% of registered voters in the county cast ballots in 2020 Biden won 75% of the vote that year in Dane County beating Trump by 181,000 votes in the county while carrying the state by fewer than 21,000 Hillary Clinton beat Trump in Dane County in 2016 by 47 points and Trump won the state by less than a point In remarks to the crowd before Trump arrived Thompson said the former president should “go where the opposition is.” ‘Isn’t Madison very liberal?’” Thompson said but Dane County has the third most Republican votes in the state of Wisconsin and all we have to do is increase them.” Democratic presidential candidates have long come to Dane County to hold massive rallies to fire up the base holding a rally in Madison that attracted more than 10,000 people which bills itself as the “only Waunakee in the world,” is slightly more Republican than the county as a whole Trump got 36% of the vote there compared to less than 23% countywide a science and technology museum along the shores of Lake Michigan © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins