Republican lawmakers are emerging from a tumultuous summer, defined by a series of high-profile hearings on former President Donald Trump's actions during the insurrection and the Supreme Court's move to reverse a federally protected right to abortion that had been in place for decades. Republicans, once thought to have a stronghold over the upcoming midterm election, now find themselves in a vulnerable position. With midterms on the horizon, independent voters who once supported Republican candidates could be the determining factor in tipping the scales into the Democrat's favor. Noticing a trend in Democratic candidates picking up momentum, Associated Press reporter Tom Beaumont turned his attention to independent voters in Wisconsin, a highly competitive states with one of the most vulnerable senate seats up for grabs this fall.
Sarah Motiff, from politically competitive Columbia County, works from home in Columbus. The 52-year-old city council member and political independent says testimony that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's office offered a fake slate of Wisconsin electors for the 2020 election "put a bad taste in my mouth." She is among independent voters nationally who have drifted toward supporting Democrats this fall.
Steve Gray, a 61-year-old moderate Republican, "though never a Trump fan," on one of his Harley Davidson motorcycles inside his garage in Rio. A school maintenance manager, Gray said he is frustrated with the abortion ruling because it gave the former president a policy win despite being out of office.
Dilaine Noel, a 29-year-old data analyst and political independent, visiting a park in Lodi, says the abortion ruling is prompting her to vote Democratic this fall "by default."
Mary Percifield, in her backyard in Pardeeville, worries the June U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade puts other federally protected rights at risk. The 68-year-old customer service representative is among independent voters nationally who have drifted toward supporting Democrats in November in light of the court decision and mixed messaging from Republicans over the summer.
Sarah Motiff, from politically competitive Columbia County, works from home in Columbus. The 52-year-old city council member and political independent says testimony that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's office offered a fake slate of Wisconsin electors for the 2020 election "put a bad taste in my mouth." She is among independent voters nationally who have drifted toward supporting Democrats this fall.
Steve Gray, a 61-year-old moderate Republican, "though never a Trump fan," on one of his Harley Davidson motorcycles inside his garage in Rio. A school maintenance manager, Gray said he is frustrated with the abortion ruling because it gave the former president a policy win despite being out of office.
Dilaine Noel, a 29-year-old data analyst and political independent, visiting a park in Lodi, says the abortion ruling is prompting her to vote Democratic this fall "by default."
Mary Percifield, in her backyard in Pardeeville, worries the June U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade puts other federally protected rights at risk. The 68-year-old customer service representative is among independent voters nationally who have drifted toward supporting Democrats in November in light of the court decision and mixed messaging from Republicans over the summer.
