A new report from the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) reveals the thought process of people who voted for President Trump in 2024 but skipped the 2022 gubernatorial election.
A new report from the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) highlights a key challenge for Republicans in Wisconsin’s 2026 gubernatorial election: more than 140,000 Trump voters who backed President Donald Trump in 2024 but skipped the 2022 governor’s race.
IRG, in conjunction with Citizens for Free Enterprise Action, released the findings Wednesday from in-depth interviews with 17 such voters. Conducted through an online qualitative bulletin board by Heart+Mind Strategies, the research shows these voters are not apathetic or opposed to Republican ideas: They simply don’t see how decisions made in Madison affect their daily lives.
“These voters associate economic solutions with Washington — not Madison,” the report concludes. “Most voters in this segment believe federal policy drives their economic reality.”
Participants represented a cross-section of the state — rural, suburban and urban; Republicans and independents. Many cited the overwhelming national focus on presidential races as the reason state contests feel distant.
“I just don’t really know what the effects are that I feel on a state level. Maybe if I paid more attention, I would know what impacts I felt for the year that my state elections were responsible for”
Trump 2024 voter
“There’s so much kind of hype and news and social media around the presidential race that’s just significantly more than governor’s races,” one rural Republican said.
About 10 of the 17 said they sat out the 2022 race because they felt uninformed about candidates and issues. Negative campaign ads only deepened that disconnect, they reported. When researchers showed concrete examples of how state policies influence taxes, schools and the cost of living, participants’ interest in future elections rose sharply…often within the same session.
The cost of living emerged as the dominant concern, whether described as inflation, housing, taxes or the broader economy.
“I just don’t really know what the effects are that I feel on a state level. Maybe if I paid more attention, I would know what impacts I felt for the year that my state elections were responsible for,” a suburban Trump voter explained.
Another participant said clear information would make the difference: “I would 100% vote in the next election if I could easily read information on the policies that each candidate plans to roll out and exactly how it would impact my day-to-day life.” A suburban independent offered that view.
An urban Republican added that the discussions opened his eyes: “I never thought twice about who actually has “more” control over ideas close to home, especially when it comes to schools and law enforcement.”
CJ Szafir, CEO of the Institute for Reforming Government, said the numbers are significant enough to decide statewide races.
“More than 140,000 Wisconsin voters showed up for the presidential election for Trump but skipped the governor’s race. This research makes clear that when voters understand how decisions in Madison affect their taxes, their schools, and their cost of living, they are far more likely to engage,” Szafir said.
Amy Loudenbeck, the Wisconsin state director for Citizens for Free Enterprise, emphasized the opportunity.
“These voters are not disengaged — they’re disconnected. They care deeply about issues like affordability and the economy, but too often associate solutions with Washington instead of Madison,” she said. “The opportunity for candidates and policymakers is simple: make the impact of state government real, relevant, and easy to understand, and turnout will follow.”
The report offers three recommendations: clearly link state decisions to everyday costs, close the information gap with straightforward materials, and turn relevance into action. Most participants said they are likely or at least neutral about voting in 2026, but few are paying attention yet.
With Tony Evers choosing not to seek reelection, the open governor’s race could hinge on whether Republican candidates succeed in making state government tangible to these low-propensity voters. The research suggests turnout depends less on changing minds than on improving visibility — a solvable visibility problem, the groups argue.
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