4 Historic Presidential Primaries in Wisconsin History

Pivotal Moments In A State That Pioneered Open Primaries
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State of Wisconsin 1975 Blue Book art

Detail from the cover of the State of Wisconsin 1975 Blue Book.

As Wisconsin heads into a hotly contested presidential primary election for both major parties, WPR has looked back at years when the state's voters played an important role in selecting parties' nominees. Wisconsin helped pioneer the open presidential primary in 1912. Since then, it hasn't always been considered a crucial primary state, but in some years it has exerted a strong influence on the nomination process. The state once again looks to play an important role in 2016 for candidates in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

WPR's Erika Janik and WisContext's Scott Gordon recently explored notable episodes in Wisconsin presidential primary history:

Listen to Janik and Gordon discuss how each of these primaries can illuminate the evolution of the national political scene and the Wisconsin electorate. More coverage of the 2016 race is available at the Wisconsin Presidential Primaries series.

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