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How Tammy Baldwin Wins Where Other Democrats Lose

Republicans agree: The Wisconsin Democrat has a knack for old-school politics, giving her an unusual advantage with rural voters.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin has an advantage relative to other Democrats running for reelection this year. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Sen. Tammy Baldwin has for years now done what for other Democrats has felt impossible: She has consistently won over enough rural voters to keep her swing-state seat secure.

Two years after Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin, and two years before Joe Biden barely won it, Baldwin won by almost 11 points. And her reelection chances this year are generally considered solid, with uncertain Republican opposition, even in a year that’s expected to be difficult for Senate Democrats.

Even Baldwin’s Republican colleagues say she’s doing something unique: winning over rural voters with bread-and-butter, old-school politicking, tightly focused on local issues with little regard for the drama of national politics.