Wisconsin’s WOW counties, the suburban counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington outside of Milwaukee, have been the Republican epicenters of the state for decades. Trends, however, suggest they may be moving more to the left than they historically have been.
Waukesha is the state’s third most populous with nearly 400,000 residents, behind the two most populous counties Milwaukee and Dane, which are the Democratic strongholds of the state. With Wisconsin’s national political relevance being so grand in recent elections, Waukesha’s status as a Republican stronghold is important if Republicans want to keep winning statewide elections in Wisconsin.
“It’s kind of a political joke amongst pundits that it all comes down to Waukesha County, Wisconsin. There is some truth to that —the turnout is really important for Republicans there. It’s really a place that they need,” Mike Wagner, a professor who focuses on political communication and public opinion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, told the Washington Examiner.
Historically, the WOW counties have been the most Republican areas of the state. During the 2008 presidential race, former President Barack Obama carried the state of Wisconsin by 14 points, but performed poorly in these counties. Obama won 59 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, but in Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties, he received less than 40% of the vote, which were some of the lowest numbers of all the counties he lost.
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In 2012, presidential candidate Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) received 64.63% of the support in Ozaukee country. The county had previously been considered to be the most Republican of the three and even the state, but now looks to be the least of the WOW counties.
“Ozaukee County was the most Republican county in all of Wisconsin in the 1990s but that same time the ‘O’ in WOW has gone from being the most Republican county to, like the 40 or 44th,” Wagner said. “It’s really decreased in its power.”
“When Scott Walker was running for governor in 2014, Ozaukee County gave Republicans a more than 40 point margin. While the Republican candidate for governor won Ozaukee County in 2022, it was by 10 or 11 points,” Wagner said.
Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker speaks at his campaign party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in West Allis, Wis. Walker defeated Democratic gubernatorial challenger Mary Burke. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
From 1996 through 2020, no Democratic candidate won even a single municipality, town, or city in these three counties. President Joe Biden narrowly flipped the city of Cederburg in Ozaukee County in 2020, highlighting somewhat of a shift in this region.
“It used to be that the WOW counties really were lockstep together, and now the O in WOW is disappearing. Washington and Waukesha counties are still strongly Republican, Ozaukee County has been shifting more to the Democrats,” Wagner said. “WOW is losing its wow factor in a way.”
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Washington County is becoming the most Republican of the three counties. Trump won Washington County by almost 40 points in 2020, but only won Ozaukee County by 12, far down from Romney’s nearly 30-point win there in 2012.
As former President Donald Trump leans into right-wing populism, his message is becoming more popular in rural areas of the state than it is with the the more traditional areas the Republican Party has been strong in. Former speaker Paul Ryan’s district used to encompass parts of Waukesha County and he was vastly popular with these counties.
Now, as Ryan and other conservatives like Romney step away from the party, these counties seemingly are, too.
“When Trump first ran for president in 2016 in the Wisconsin primary, Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin primary, not Trump,” Wagner said. “After it was pretty clear Trump was going to be the nominee, and so lots of Republicans just were not wild about him, but once he became the party’s nominee, they got blind and voted for him.”
“But after seeing him as president, some of those voters could not pull the lever for him again and voted for Biden,” Wagner continued.
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Reproductive rights and abortion has also been a driving factor for suburban women in recent elections, not just in the Milwaukee suburbs, but nationwide. Wagner credited some of the political shift to abortion.
“It’s been a huge issue, and it’s really been highlighted in voting in the state Supreme Court,” Wagner said. He pointed to the fact that Wisconsin voters actually vote for Wisconsin Supreme Court justices instead of justices being appointed.
In the last two Supreme Court races in the state, campaigns have focused on abortion because after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion was briefly outlawed in Wisconsin entirely.
In the state’s 2023 supreme court race, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz won and her campaign invested heavily not only in Dane and Milwaukee counties, but also the WOW counties. Once again, Ozaukee county shifted slightly as her opponent, conservative Daniel Kelly, won the county by just five percentage points, as compared to Mitt Romney‘s 30-point win in 2012.
Voting habits in the 2024 primaries in the WOW counties also indicate a leftward shift. This month, Wisconsin voters rejected two GOP-backed ballot questions aimed at decreasing the spending power of the governor. Democrats waged a campaign urging Wisconsinites to vote “no,” which ultimately paid off as they did not pass.
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In the WOW counties, the “yes” vote for these questions got only 50% of the vote in Ozaukee County and 57% of the vote in Waukesha County. Ten years earlier, Walker was reelected with more than 70% of the vote in Waukesha and Ozaukee counties in 2014.
It wasn’t a primary fluke either as the primary also had record turnout, with 26% of those voting aged or higher in the state voting, the highest in 60 years for a presidential year partisan primary.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
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Here’s a look at July 15, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 15 drawing
02-07-18-29-38, Powerball: 16, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 15 drawing
Midday: 0-6-9
Evening: 8-6-6
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Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 15 drawing
Midday: 9-3-8-0
Evening: 4-5-2-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from July 15 drawing
Midday: 01-04-05-07-09-11-12-17-18-21-22
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Evening: 05-06-10-11-12-13-14-16-17-19-21
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from July 15 drawing
05-06-23-28-31
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from July 15 drawing
04-08-15-16-21-33, Doubler: N
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Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from July 15 drawing
10-19-25-31-37-40
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
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WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
(WLUK) — Northeast Wisconsin community groups that helped during historic spring flooding can now apply for relief.
Applications for the United Way Fox Cities and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Flood Relief fund are now open.
The grants are available to local nonprofits and churches serving residents in Outagamie, Calumet, Shawano, Waupaca, and the Neenah/Menasha area of Winnebago counties who are engaging in relief efforts both short-term and long-term.
Grants are available to:
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501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
Groups fiscally sponsored by a qualified 501(c)(3)
Churches and other public entities able to receive tax-deductible contributions
These grants are not available to private foundations, individuals or businesses directly, labor unions, or 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) organizations.
The funding provided to these community organizations will help with housing and safe shelter, food, health and well-being, and financial assistance.
For individual homeowners and renters seeking relief, you can apply for FEMA assistance.
President Trump recently approved $22.6 million in federal aid for Northeast Wisconsin. The request made earlier this year asked for $27 million.
