By Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt
PLOVER, Wisconsin, Feb 26 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance took aim at Democrats in a partisan speech on Thursday in a competitive Wisconsin district, as the White House tries to protect a narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Vance visited Plover, part of Wisconsin’s third congressional district, which lies at the heart of the region that first lifted Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.
Democrats are targeting this district in their quest to regain control of the lower house of Congress, leaning on voters’ dissatisfaction with the state of the economy. The district’s incumbent congressman, Derrick Van Orden, won reelection in 2024 by less than three points.
Van Orden sits in one of two Republican-held seats in Wisconsin that Democrats view as vulnerable in the midterms. The former Navy SEAL senior chief is closely aligned with the president, whose polling on the economy has worsened since he retook office last January.
Vance argued that Democrats deserve blame for higher prices that started rising during the Biden administration.
“Hearing the Democrats talk about affordability is like hearing an arsonist complain about fire,” said Vance, speaking at a machining plant.
Voters in the third district, located in the southwestern and central parts of the state, delivered victories for a string of Democratic presidential candidates for decades, including Barack Obama, until Trump carried the district in 2016. He also won the district by seven points in 2024, part of a sweep of battleground states that propelled him to victory over Democrat Kamala Harris.
Wisconsin also has competitive governor and state legislature races this year.
WHITE HOUSE FOCUSED ON POLITICAL BATTLEGROUNDS
In Wisconsin, the vice president visited a factory, Pointe Precision, and underscored the Republican president’s economic message from Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
During that speech, Trump promoted his efforts on kitchen-table economic issues from housing to healthcare and utility bills. But he stopped short of acknowledging that many Americans are still struggling with the high cost of food and housing.
Just 36% of voters approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Some Republican Party strategists have warned that without a more emphatic message on inflation, Republicans are at risk of losing control of Congress in November.
“Today, JD Vance tried to gaslight Wisconsinites about Trump’s toxic economic agenda that is jacking up their costs and costing them their jobs and healthcare,” said Albert Fujii, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee.
The White House is set to showcase the president and top administration officials in competitive political areas to highlight Trump’s economic agenda. Trump is expected to visit Texas on Friday for an event focused on energy and the economy.
Vance’s trip was his second in office to Wisconsin’s third congressional district after a visit to La Crosse in August. National Democrats said this week they are ramping up spending in the district.
Trump endorsed Van Orden in the 2026 race 10 months ago. The primary election to pick his Democratic opponent will be held on August 11.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Mosinee, Wisconsin, and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non, Nia Williams, David Gaffen and Bill Berkrot)
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