Interesting to note that Wisconsin voted every time for Nixon (5 elections) when he was the presidential or vice-presidential nominee.
In 1972, however, Wisconsin was one of George McGovern's better states, voting 6.74% more Democratic than the national average; Nixon won it by 9.68%.
Humphrey did a bit better than JFK as well.
Humphrey losing Wisconsin to Nixon is far more of a head scratcher than Kennedy losing it. As a Senator from neighboring Minnesota, Humphrey was considered “Wisconsin’s third Senator”.
Even more perplexing is how Carter, ostensibly a much worse fit for the state than Humphrey, managed to win Wisconsin. I remember reading somewhere that in 1976 this was considered the most surprising state result of the election.
Carter’s good showing in NW Wisconsin seems to have put him over the top (same as Dukakis), whereas JFK and Humphrey were largely confined to the Superior and Michigan coasts. It was not until 1992 that the SW (part of the politically baffling Driftless region, whose shift to the Democrats seems inexplicable to me) became a Democratic stronghold in the state.
