WOW counties

[4] Historically, the WOW counties were among the most Republican areas in the state, consistently voting for the party by bigger margins than most other major suburbs north of the Mason–Dixon line.

[5] With the GOP's increasing trend toward right-wing populism under Donald Trump, however, several rural areas of Wisconsin have become significantly more Republican than the WOW counties in most races.

[9] However, Scott Walker's vote share fell to 66% and 63% in Waukesha and Ozaukee in 2018 respectively, contributing to his 1.1% statewide loss to Democrat Tony Evers.

Although the counties stayed solidly Republican, Evers won 39.43% of the vote in Waukesha, 44.12% in Ozaukee, and 30.66% in Washington, far exceeding his prior performance in them in 2018.

[13] This was a factor in Trump's 2016 upset win in Wisconsin, a feat he could not replicate in 2020 as the WOW counties shifted left.

Although Trump received over 60% of the vote in the 3 counties in all of his runs, his margins in them are significantly lower than prior Republicans in the 21st century.