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In the News

The swing state of Wisconsin

It’s easy to find undecided voters in the Badger State who remain in play, are hard to peg as liberal or conservative, and seem to be ready to go on gut instinct if necessary when they mark their ballot.

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A street scene in the Bayview section of Milwaukee. Wisconsin voters tend to be relatively reserved in their political discourse by modern standards. Some won't talk politics at all. Ask their opinion and they shake their heads as if a response would be unseemly.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A rainbow rises over a street fair in Green Bay, Wis.

A rainbow rises over a street fair in Green Bay, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Daniel Castelic, left, and his wife, Sharon, at a street fair in Green Bay, Wis.

Oct. 3, 2012

Daniel Castelic, left, and his wife, Sharon, at a street fair in Green Bay, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Tim Dechwar in Held's cheese shop, a 126-year-old business in Slinger, Wis. He says of President Obama, 'I don't think he’s done a damn thing. I think the stimulus was a bust, and I think he's run the deficit up to astronomical proportions.'

Tim Dechwar in Held's cheese shop, a 126-year-old business in Slinger, Wis. He says of President Obama, "I don't think he’s done a damn thing. I think the stimulus was a bust, and I think he's run the deficit up to astronomical proportions."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Bill Haaker and his wife, Pam Haaker, in Green Bay, Wis. Pam's a retired nurse; Bill's a truck driver. Pam intends to vote for Mitt Romney, but Bill is still agonizing. 'I just don't think the poor guy can relate to the common man,'' Bill says of Romney. Of President Obama, Bill says: 'He hasn't done a great job, but he hasn't totally flubbed everything either.'

Bill Haaker and his wife, Pam Haaker, in Green Bay, Wis. Pam's a retired nurse; Bill's a truck driver. Pam intends to vote for Mitt Romney, but Bill is still agonizing. "I just don't think the poor guy can relate to the common man,'' Bill says of Romney. Of President Obama, Bill says: "He hasn't done a great job, but he hasn't totally flubbed everything either."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

From left, Julie Johnson, Jessie Nielson and Mary Shultis prepare caramel apples at a candy store in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Shultis says she was leaning toward voting for President Obama, but the first debate raised doubts for her.

From left, Julie Johnson, Jessie Nielson and Mary Shultis prepare caramel apples at a candy store in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Shultis says she was leaning toward voting for President Obama, but the first debate raised doubts for her.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Jessie Nielson dips green apples into caramel at a candy store in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Jessie Nielson dips green apples into caramel at a candy store in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Lawrence Jensen, shown in front of Jack's Apple Pub in Appleton, Wis., describes himself as a musician who is between careers. He complains about his choices in the election: 'We have 300 million people in America. Why are we reduced to voting for only two? . . . I wish Ross Perot was coming back, though that dates me a bit.'

Lawrence Jensen, shown in front of Jack's Apple Pub in Appleton, Wis., describes himself as a musician who is between careers. He complains about his choices in the election: "We have 300 million people in America. Why are we reduced to voting for only two? . . . I wish Ross Perot was coming back, though that dates me a bit."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A view of North Main Street in Fond du Lac, Wis. The state's political geography is quirky: It doesn’t have a typical urban-rural divide in voting patterns.

A view of North Main Street in Fond du Lac, Wis. The state's political geography is quirky: It doesn’t have a typical urban-rural divide in voting patterns.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Pa Houa Yang, 21, right, at a street fair in Green Bay, Wis. For the past six presidential elections, Wisconsin was in the Democratic column; the last Republican to win the state, which has 10 electoral votes, was Ronald Reagan in 1984. But it's hardly a Democratic lock. In 2000, Al Gore won the state by only 0.2 percent of the vote, and John Kerry in 2004 won by only 0.4 percent. Barack Obama won by a whopping 13.9 percent in 2008.

Pa Houa Yang, 21, right, at a street fair in Green Bay, Wis. For the past six presidential elections, Wisconsin was in the Democratic column; the last Republican to win the state, which has 10 electoral votes, was Ronald Reagan in 1984. But it's hardly a Democratic lock. In 2000, Al Gore won the state by only 0.2 percent of the vote, and John Kerry in 2004 won by only 0.4 percent. Barack Obama won by a whopping 13.9 percent in 2008.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Desmond Watson puts up his tent at a farmers market in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Desmond Watson puts up his tent at a farmers market in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A blunt political bumper sticker on a vehicle near the Pabst brewery in Milwaukee.

A blunt political bumper sticker on a vehicle near the Pabst brewery in Milwaukee.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Jerry Pierce, 76, in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Jerry Pierce, 76, in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Cornstalks along a country road in Richfield, Wis.

Cornstalks along a country road in Richfield, Wis.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03714567 A Thai Buddhist family take an offering of lotus flowers to pay respects to a giant Buddha surrounded by more than 1,000 smaller Buddha statues at a Buddhism Park, on Vesak or Visakha Bucha day, in Nakhon Nayok, north of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 May 2013. Buddhist devotees throughout the world offer blessings at temples to mark one of the holiest days in Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha. EPA/BARBARA WALTON

Photos of the day

Buddhist Wesak festival, prisoners-of-war reunion, bridge collapse, world’s largest Lego model and more.

A portion of the Interstate 5 bridge is submerged after it collapsed into the Skagit River dumping vehicles and people into the water in Mount Vernon, Wash., Thursday, May 23, 2013 according to the Washington State Patrol. (AP Photo/Skagit Valley Herald, Frank Varga)

I-5 bridge collapse in Washington state dumps vehicles, passengers into river

No fatalities reported; collapse over Skagit River shuts down main route between Seattle and Canada.

SILVER SPRING MD: MAY 18
from left to right, Bodybuilders Jorge Villatoro, Sidney Bumbrey, Eric Holmes and Ron Coleman show off their most muscular poses for the judges at the 2013 Musclemania - Capital Tournament of Champions Contest held at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on May 18, 2013.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Flexing their muscles

Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.

epa03714543 US actress Carmen Electra arrives for the Life Ball gala, at the airport Schwechat, in Vienna, Austria, 24 May 2013. The 21th Life Ball, an annual fundraising charity event for HIV and Aids projects, takes place at the Vienna City-Hall on 25 May 2013. EPA/HERBERT NEUBAUER

Eye on entertainment

Carmen Electra, Barbara Eden, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Jaden Smith and more.

A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast London May 22, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing of a man in south London, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Terrorism cited in London cleaver attack

Two assailants hacked to death a British soldier on a busy southeast London neighborhood street Wednesday afternoon before delivering an apparent...

MOORE, OK - MAY 24: A 'For Sale' sign hangs in a tree in a storm ravaged neighborhood on May 24, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma. The tornado of EF5 strength and two miles wide touched down May 20 killing at least 24 people and leaving behind extensive damage to homes and businesses. U.S. President Barack Obama promised federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Assessing tornado damage in Oklahoma

Amid great destruction, residents of the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore begin to assess the severity of the twister that hit Monday.

WASHINGTON DC: MAY 22
Contestant Travis Rumans, 31 dances with his beloved glow sticks for talent at Penn Social in Washington, DC on May 22, 2013. The contestants help raise over $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mr. DC pageant is a fundraising event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The qualifications for the Mr. District of Columbia finalists is that they must live, work and attend school in the District of Columbia between the ages of 21-30 who are unmarried, intelligent, and dapper in a suit.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Mr. D.C. Pageant contestants compete for charity

Contestants in the Mr. D.C. Pageant, a fundraising event, helped raise more than $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

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