ST. PAUL, Minn.\u2014Democrats kicked off their national convention in Chicago Monday. But today, Vice President Kamala Harris will be 80 miles north, in Milwaukee, as she makes her third visit to Wisconsin since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Wisconsin has often been a key pathway to the White House, it could play an even bigger role than usual this November as Democrats fight to keep their slim majority in the Senate. The elected representatives Wisconsinites choose this year could have major policy implications not just for the state but nationwide, including in the fight to slow climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s because Wisconsin is one of seven battleground states where Democrats hope to hold onto their Senate seats in ultra-competitive races. (The other six are Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.) If Democrats lose just one of those states, it could set up a divided and gridlocked government even if they retain the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Democrats lose both the White House and the Senate, that could also mean the reversal of hard fought gains on pro-climate policy\u2014namely, the hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy tax credits via the Inflation Reduction Act, which former President Donald Trump vowed to repeal if he\u2019s elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are the battleground state,\u201d Sen. Tammy Baldwin declared<\/a> during a July rally for Harris in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n