Donald Trump, Kamala Harris | Norwegian Americans can be confident in the swing state of Wisconsin

SPRING GROVE IN MINNESOTA/DECORAH IN IOWA/WESTBY IN WISCONSIN (Nettavisen): The cafes offer lefse porridge and sour cream. Pictures and pictures of rose paint and people in bunting decorate the walls.

We are present in the areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, where the Norwegian-Americans live and their national romanticism runs rampant.

Behind the scenes, things are moving towards a thrilling election in the United States. Where do Norwegian Americans really stand in this year’s election?

Republican strategist and pollster Patrick Ruffini points out that Norwegian Americans have traditionally leaned toward the Democrats to a greater extent than voters from other sources in the areas.

However, it has seen a change in recent years.

– The party’s polarization may have moved Norwegian and Scandinavian voters to the right, like their neighbors from other backgrounds, said Ruffini to Nettavisen.

This change is also visible when you drive on the country roads in the states.

For every “Harris/Walz” sign Nettavisen sees, he feels like three “Trump/Vance” signs follow.

– I’m tired of all the Trump signs here, says Norwegian-American Jill Storlie to Nettavisen.

She lives in the small town of Spring Grove, in southeast Minnesota, where the first Norwegian settlement settled in Minnesota. Here, the residents prepare for the annual “Uff da party” when Nettavisen visits the town.

There will be a garage sale, a barn dance and especially a lutefisk throwing competition.

Talking about politics, on the other hand, is less popular in Spring Grove.

– I’m worried about talking about politics in this city because I don’t want people to be confused. They are getting confused, Story points out.

Storlie, who has been to Norway several times, believes that Republican machines have succeeded in spreading fear about immigration and the southern border.

– I don’t like any of the options

Kathy Rosendahl shouts.

– I don’t like any of the other options we have, but because my child is trans, I feel I have to vote for Harris, said Rosendahl to Nettavisen.

The women believe that Spring Grove residents are divided on who they are voting for this year. Trump won the majority in the city by 4.1 percentage points in 2020, according to New York Times.

Norwegian-American Gerald Stewart has nothing left for any of the options.

– Both parties are completely stupid. Most Americans are closer to the center. It’s difficult, he says to Nettavisen.

– Don’t tell anyone here, though

Storlie says she doesn’t talk much about politics with those closest to her anymore.

So we find out before you what her brother David Storlie thinks about this year’s election.

It sits at a brewery in Iowa, a 20-minute drive from Spring Grove. David lives in Spring Grove, but is a member of the Norwegian-American men’s choir Luren, which works in the town of Decorah.

Decorah is known as Iowa’s small Norwegian town.

– Don’t tell anyone here, but traditionally I’ve been leaning towards Republicans, says Storlie.

Left Norway for more opportunities

– One thing that surprised me is that Norwegian Americans seem to be much more conservative than I thought. The theory was that because you have Norwegian ancestry, you lean towards the Democrats because we Norwegians are on the left side of Democrat and Republican policies.

– I doubt it because they fled Norway to get more opportunities, Stòras points out.

From 1836 to 1915, more than 750,000 Norwegians emigrated to North America, according to Encyclopedia of Norway. Most of those who emigrated had a rural background.

The situation was dire in Norway. We struggled with overcrowding and poverty. At the same time, the US was tempted by cheap farmland. If you promised to stay and cultivate land for five years, you got 650 acres of land.

– They wanted to have their own farm and work alone. It leans more towards Republicans and conservatives, says Storlie.

– Our ancestors had to work hard

Local politician, Republican and Norwegian-American Brad Finstad grew up on a farm in the city of New Ulm.

He explains that the way of life in the farming communities throughout the centuries has been focusing on God, contributing to the local community and avoiding waste.

It is more in line with conservative values, the Republican believes.

– When our ancestors came here, they had to work very hard and they sacrificed so much. They gave blood, sweat and tears to create the American dream. Perhaps that is what has made this society more conservative, says Finstad to Nettavisen.

Today he represents Minnesota in the United States Congress.

– Crazy that there is that crazy level

Norwegian-American Jenna Bremer thinks it’s crazy that voting for Trump is still considered a protectionist.

– It is madness that we continue to name this man who is obviously not smart. He lies, but people hang on to him. It’s crazy that there is that level of hypocrisy, says Bremer, who will vote for Harris this year.

But in Minnesota and Iowa, the result is almost already clear.

Both campaigns are already counting Minnesota as the Democrats won, and Iowa as the Republicans won.

You won’t see Harris or Trump visiting the states often in the coming weeks.

– Moved Norwegian and Scandinavian voters to the right

But in the swing state of Wisconsin, on the other hand, Norwegian Americans—and Americans of Danish and Swedish ancestry—can make a decisive impact.

– Scandinavian Americans were some of the strongest supporters of the progressive movement that began in Wisconsin in the early 20th century. Even after decades of assimilation, western Wisconsin’s political culture remains much more Democratic than other rural areas of the state, Ruffini says.

He believes voters in western Wisconsin are now balancing left-wing labor policies with Donald Trump’s populist appeal.

– Although these areas have shifted more towards the Republicans, they still vote more for the Democrats than in others rural areas. This is due to the political influence of Scandinavian Americans, says Ruffini.

But there is still a chance that Harris will lose ground this year.

– In a state like Wisconsin, where the candidates are well matched, the group can be decisive. Will Harris manage to keep them in the fold, or will Trump succeed in getting them to vote more in line with other rural voters? asks Ruffini.

In the middle of the small Norwegian town of Westby in the tipping state, Norwegian Americans Mike Lium and Randy Mikkelson are sitting enjoying drinks at three dollars a piece.

– You probably don’t see such prices in Norway, the men joke.

– It’s a silent majority here

Mikkelson believes Trump will win in Westby.

– If I were to measure here, 60-70 percent voted for the Republicans here, says Mikkelson.

He votes for Trump and sees the election as a choice of destiny.

– Our country is going in the wrong direction with all the illegal immigrants. I want to immigrate, but it has to be legal. I hope Trump wins so things go back to how they were four years ago.

In the city, 52 percent voted for Biden in 2020, and 46 percent for Trump, according to the New York Times. Lium and Mikkelson don’t think the Norwegian Americans are holding Trump back in Wisconsin anymore.

– Westby is not as Scandinavian ‘sab’ as he used to be. I grew up here and then it was 90 percent Scandinavian. That part has changed a lot, Lium says.

– There are many Trump signs here. There is a silent majority here, I think. Trump is very popular, Mikkelson concludes.