Some call it the heartland.

Others fly over country.

But for the 2024 presidential hopefuls, the Midwest is the place to land.

Here there is one battleground that may be harder to win than ever.

Wisconsin.

The state known for its beer and cheese, grid iron and grit, and also its razor-thin elections.

In 2016, Republicans narrowly flipped the badger state red for the first time since Ronald Reagan.

But it was back to blue by 2020.

That election came during an unprecedented year.

The country was rifeless tension.

And the suburbs of Milwaukee, the division seemed deeper than ever.

That was just the beginning.

Two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe versus Wade, leaving the legality of abortion up to the states.

And Wisconsin, that meant a nearly total ban.

The power of that issue drove Democrats to the polls this year.

Now, that new thin liberal majority on the court could have that abortion issue before it again,

which is the race for the White House accelerates.

Tonight, the Republican candidates will face off at the home of the Bucks and the Marquette Golden Eagles,

hoping to return next July to this city on the shore of Lake Michigan to accept the Republican nomination at their party's national convention.

Tonight, the race for the White House takes flight.

Welcome to the first debate of the 2024 presidential campaign live at Pfizer Forum in Milwaukee.

Eight Republican candidates have qualified and have chosen to be here on our debate stage tonight.

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