As they poured out of the United Center arena Thursday night, Wisconsin delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago were beaming.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech accepting her party’s nomination for president left them fired up, they said. The address capped off a week of appearances by celebrities, rising Democratic stars and even some former Republicans.
Harris used her moment in the national spotlight to pledge support for labor unions, restoring federal abortion protections and uniting the nation. She also attempted to speak to voters of other political persuasions by promising to “be a President for all Americans.”
“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens. Who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people, from the courthouse to the White House. That has been my life’s work,” said Harris.
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DNC attendees listen to Vice President Kamala Harris accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
It was exactly the message Wisconsin delegates from around the state said they wanted to hear, with some promising to go back home and make the final push to get Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz over the finish line.
“I will go door to door,” said John Krizek of Hudson. “I will talk to every neighbor I can find, and I’ll go to coffee shops, and I pledge my future. Because right now, I am radicalized in her support.”
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Krizek said Harris’ speech left him feeling “full of power.” As a former pledged delegate for President Joe Biden, he said he was nervous after Biden’s debate performance with former President Donald Trump. Krizek said it felt like “an anvil had been lifted off my chest” when Biden decided not to run for re-election.
“I felt Donald Trump was going to win and that he was going to destroy our democracy and our future,” said Krizek.
Attendees take selfies with balloons as they fall at the end of Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
Krizek’s comments and others suggested a sense of relief that Biden dropped out of the running. But Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t know if it’s a sense of relief,” said Johnson. “I think that there’s a sense of history that’s about to be made here, that we have our chance, an opportunity to elect the first woman president and the first Black woman president and get through those 60 some million cracks that Hillary Clinton put in that highest and hardest glass ceiling in 2016. We finally have the opportunity to shatter that.”
Harris’ vow to unite Americans and be a “president for all” was one of the things that excited Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton. She said whenever she hears Trump talk it’s aimed at dividing citizens.
As for the notable rise in enthusiasm among Democrats, Hesselbein said she thinks it will trickle down to state legislative races, too.
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“I think with Kamala at the top of the ticket, you’re going to see so many people voting for Kamala and Democrats up and down the ticket,” Hesselbein said. “It’s going to be fantastic for all of us.”
Attendees celebrate as balloons fall at the end of the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
Deiadra Queary, a delegate from Milwaukee, said she thought Harris spelled out the high stakes of the election.
“This is serious. It is a serious matter,” Queary said. “One wrong choice, and we’re living in a world that wouldn’t be good for us.”
The theme of the final night of Democrats’ weeklong rally was “For our Future.” While attacks aimed at former Republican President Donald Trump and GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance featured prominently throughout the convention, Harris said the upcoming election is about more than defeating them this fall.
LaToya Bates of Mayville said that future-oriented message left her feeling hopeful.
“We see a candidate who has a plan, who is energized, who is excited — who’s exciting — who can articulate all of those questions and things that we may not have been able to form for ourselves but we were burdened and worried about, and we can see hope,” Bates said.
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Harris also focused her speech on economic concerns, saying that building out the middle class, and offering a middle class tax cut, will be a cornerstone of her presidency.
Ann Jacobs, a Milwaukee-area delegate and member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said that message suggested that Harris would represent all Americans.
“She’s standing up for the union workers. She’s standing up for the middle class. She’s standing up for the persons on Social Security. She’s standing up for the things we actually believe in,” Jacobs said.
At the start of her speech, Harris described the unusual path she took from supporting Biden’s candidacy to receiving his endorsement and launching her own campaign in just a month.
Jacobs said that that dramatic shift over the summer “changed the dynamic in a way no one’s ever seen before.”
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“That has electrified everybody, maybe for its novelty, maybe for its her youth and her enthusiasm,” she said. “Whatever it is, it changed everything.”
Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris smiles as she wraps up her speech on the final day of the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
With the convention in Chicago, there were fewer overtures to Wisconsin from the DNC’s main stage than there were during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. But a handful of Wisconsin Democrats took the stage throughout the week, including Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Partly leaders also paid special attention to Wisconsin at the delegation’s daily meetings over breakfast, which featured political dignitaries from from vice presidential nominee Tim Walz to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsinites released Aug. 7 showed Harris and Trump in a dead heat, though more recent polling from a variety of other sources has shown Harris opening up a lead in the state.
Editor’s note: WPR’s Anya van Wagtendonk and Shawn Johnson contributed reporting.
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.
