“There's tension here surrounding the election, and I guess it's the thing that no one really wants to talk about,” said Parham, 42, who described herself as a pet cat mom from Brookfield.

Parham's fellow buyers' fears about getting involved pointed to something bigger. Here in this key swing county of a key swing state that could well decide the presidency, voters across the political spectrum are gripped by fear about who will win the upcoming election.

Instead of expressing excitement about supporting their candidate — or simply relief that the election will soon be over — more than 50 voters surveyed here three weeks before Election Day repeatedly used words like “scared”, “worried”, “anxious”, “concerned”, “worried”. ” and “scared” to describe their feelings about the victory of the other party’s candidate.

Voters who support former President Donald Trump said they fear inflation, crime and illegal immigration will rise, leading to a sea change in American life if Vice President Kamala Harris wins. And Harris supporters say another four years of Trump will deepen division and undermine the country's democratic institutions.

“I'm afraid of the agenda that Kamala and the Democrats are going to push if they win because it's not consistent with America,” said Samantha Phillips, 30, a Delafield resident, as she watched her toddler on a climbing wall at the Playground helped.

A few miles away, Bernadette Swider, a 64-year-old swimming instructor from Milwaukee, was preparing to knock on doors for a Democratic Senate candidate. She said she was “disgusted” by the idea that anyone could vote for Trump and equated a second Trump term with the rise of fascism in pre-World War II Europe.

These feelings, expressed by voters while grocery shopping, meeting friends at coffee shops or attending a high school football game, reflect a broader reality shaped by years of political messaging, according to political analysts. They point to three key factors: Neither Trump nor Harris are particularly popular, the political center of swing voters has shrunk significantly, and federal elections are increasingly about strengthening the base rather than finding common ground or proposing big ideas.

“The fear you see among voters in Wisconsin is mirrored across the country,” said Rick Wiley, who managed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s recent presidential campaign and was previously executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party. “Voters are repeating what campaigns and parties have said again and again: that the other side is evil and is to blame for everything.”

Polls in Wisconsin show another tight race, similar to 2016 and 2020. The FiveThirtyEight polling average gives Harris a 0.6 percent lead, the same margin by which President Biden won the state last time. However, Trump has recently gained momentum not only in Wisconsin but also in the Blue Wall states; In Michigan and Pennsylvania, he has narrowed Harris' lead, although the race remains within the margin of error.

Across Waukesha County, nearly one in five homes is decorated with Halloween decorations, Harris or Trump yard signs and Green Bay Packers flags.

The Harris campaign has 50 offices across the state and employs 250 people working to increase voter turnout. Early voting begins next week. The Trump campaign now has 40 offices and 100 employees, but much of its work on the ground is outsourced to super PACs and groups like Turning Point Action, which operates out of a Sheraton hotel in Waukesha County.

Wisconsin has long been a battleground state that presidential candidates have focused on since 1976, when Jimmy Carter won by just 1.1 percent, only to lose it four years later. Of the seven swing states, Wisconsin has the highest proportion of white voters at 60 percent The voters are white people without college degrees, a demographic that leans heavily toward Trump. However, Democrats have gained ground in the Madison metropolitan area and in suburban counties like Waukesha, the state's third-largest with 413,000 residents, or 7 percent of Wisconsin's population.

Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, describes Waukesha as an “anchor” for any Republican running statewide because it receives more Republican votes than any other part of the state. But the Democrats lost this advantage. In 2004, George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Waukesha County by more than 35 points; In 2020, Trump's lead over Biden was just 21 points. Further erosion could prove crucial in this year's elections.

Despite the county's Republican leanings, Waukesha enjoys a mythical status among political observers here for its role in crucial state elections, including a 2011 Supreme Court race and a Senate contest the following year that pitted the party's control over the chamber went. The county's importance has become a joke and is even addressed in a 2016 New Yorker cartoon that shows a Kremlin presentation saying in Russian, “Ultimately, it all comes down to Waukesha County.”

In 2024, numerous national politicians visited Waukesha. Both Harris and Trump campaigned here, as did their vice presidential candidates. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy helped open the Republicans' new district offices, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wrapped up a bus tour for the Harris campaign. New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican and House leadership member, is expected to resign here soon.

This area is particularly important because 14 percent of Waukesha Republicans voted for Haley over Trump in the GOP primary, one of their strongest performances in the state.

One of those voters is Chris Urban, 46, a moderate Republican who dislikes both presidential candidates.

“Many of my friends would vote for Haley in a heartbeat, which is what makes this election so disappointing and the decision so difficult,” said Urban, who will ultimately vote for Harris because he cannot bring himself to support Trump. “I’m terrified of this guy.”

Eli Manchester, a 26-year-old worm farmer from Murton, doesn't see much of a choice between the two major parties.

“It's the one party, with corporate and interest group agendas pushing empty promises,” said Manchester, who plans to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. “People say my voice is wasted, but I don’t see it that way.”

Meanwhile, Joe Ehrmann, 65, of New Berlin said he plans to sit out this election, just as he did in 2020.

“I think life is better when I don't focus on these things,” said Ehrmann, a retired spokesman for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His biggest disappointment this fall was the Brewers' short playoff run.

Despite their fears, some Wisconsin voters are confident about what will happen after Election Day.

“I just hope we can come together instead of being at each other’s throats,” said Alex Berg, 33, of Fond du Lac, who plans to vote for Harris and the constant political ads that have even popped up on her Spotify , account is exhausted.

John Van Gorden, father of three and HVAC technician, also focuses on life beyond politics. He sat in his truck waiting for his son to finish soccer practice. He said he would vote for Harris but would not get involved in the campaign.

“I understand that politics is dirty and I know Wisconsin is a key state, but I'm focused on my family and can't wait for this to be over.”

James Pindell can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @jamespindell and on Instagram @jameswpindell.