Muchowkshi, chair of the Waukegan Township Democrats, looking outside from the Waukegan Township Democrats office in Waukegan. — AP
ON a table at the Waukegan Township Democrats’ office sits a box of postcards with Wisconsin addresses, collected during a postcard-writing pizza party to help turn out voters. Leaning against the table are homemade Harris-Walz signs.
“We know they’re handing these out everywhere in Wisconsin,” said Matt Muchowski, chair of the Democratic club. “Here in Waukegan, it’s been harder to get hold of Harris yard signs, so we’re printing our own.”
One reason for the shortage: Waukegan is in Illinois, which is not a swing state, though it sits just across the border from one. Muchowski believes this exemplifies the limited attention cities outside battleground states receive from presidential campaigns.
The United States’ Electoral College system puts disproportionate power in the hands of politically divided states, ensuring most campaign dollars and attention go there. The lack of focus leaves voters in non-swing states feeling sidelined, a divide acutely felt in Waukegan, one of Chicago’s farthest-flung suburbs.
The last time a presidential candidate visited this majority Latino, working-class city was when Donald Trump briefly landed at its airport in 2020 before heading directly to nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin.
In Racine, a similarly sized city just 80km north of Waukegan, Trump held a rally in June, praising the lakeshore development and focusing on revitalisation efforts in Racine and Milwaukee.
President Joe Biden also visited Racine before dropping out of the race, highlighting a new Microsoft centre.
Racine has become a frequent stop for presidential hopefuls, with Wisconsin, one of seven key battleground states, heavily targeted by both Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, cities like Waukegan are “lost in the national conversation,” Muchowski said. “It’s frustrating that some voters’ votes count for more, and they discount urban voters and people of colour.”
Illinois, a reliably Democratic state, hasn’t voted for a Republican president since 1988. This predictability is reflected in the presidential campaigns, which have visited Illinois just twice this year – once for a Trump appearance and once for Harris at the Democratic convention in Chicago. In contrast, they had visited Wisconsin 27 times as of Oct 8.
This year’s battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – make up 18% of the country’s population but dominate the attention of both presidential candidates.
These states have seen over 200 campaign stops, three-quarters of which were in the battlegrounds.
For Waukegan residents, this exclusion stings. The city, home to around 86,000 people, was built on manufacturing jobs that started disappearing in the 1960s.
The decline left Waukegan with high poverty and unemployment rates, and a school district struggling with underfunding and low graduation rates.
Its lakeshore, once home to factories, is now marred by abandoned buildings, including an asbestos plant, a coal plant, and a gypsum factory, all sitting idle by public beaches.
The environmental toll adds to the city’s struggles, with Waukegan hosting five federal Superfund sites. In 2019, the state’s pollution control board found that Waukegan’s coal plant had violated environmental regulations, and it was shuttered in 2022. In contrast, Racine boasts a pristine lakefront marina with luxury condos, coffee shops, and hotels.
The disparity is not lost on residents like Thomas Maillard, Democratic State Central Committeeman for Illinois’ 10th Congressional District. Maillard worries about gun violence, access to well-paying jobs, and affordable housing, calling Waukegan’s neglect emblematic of broader issues in Rust Belt communities.
Sam Cunningham, Waukegan’s former mayor, said people feel forgotten in their own city.
“I understand the logic of focusing on battleground states, but we feel slighted. It hurts,” he said.
Margaret Padilla Carrasco, a lifelong Waukegan resident, drove to Milwaukee to see Harris speak. If Harris visited Waukegan, Carrasco would show her the crumbling houses on the city’s south side, the struggling assisted living facilities, and the homeless shelter near her home. While she still plans to vote for Harris, she’s increasingly hearing of voters pulling away from the Democratic Party.
“If you don’t spend time with us, don’t expect us to vote for you,” said Carrasco, who trains young Latinas in traditional Mexican Charro riding.
Conservatives in Waukegan, like James Richard Wynn, feel equally ignored.
A father of nine, Wynn said issues like homeschooling, abortion restrictions, and gun rights are often overlooked by presidential candidates.
“There’s a mindset among conservatives here that there’s no point in speaking out,” he said.
Despite limited attention, residents praise Waukegan’s resilience.
Pastor Julie Contreras, who supports recent immigrants in the city, spent a recent Tuesday rebuilding the roof for an undocumented couple whose house was damaged in a storm.
“This is the Waukegan people don’t see,” said Contreras, who criticised candidates for skipping over the community.
Muchowski echoed the sentiment, saying that when the city feels ignored, its residents step up.
“Waukegan is a city of grit and imagination,” he said. “People who come here see its potential. If only the candidates could see it too.” — AP
