Stumping and Eating in Wisconsin
Selling Apples, Courtesy of the New York Public Library
In this addition to our series Stumping and eating we had to the Midwest to the swing state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a state that is key to win for a candidate seeking the presidency. During the Great Depression candidates running for office across the country tried to closely associate themselves with President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) who established emergency food stations in communities facing imminent starvation. A candidate for a local or statewide office, the US Congress or Senate might show up at one of these food stations and spend several hours passing out oranges, apples, and stables such as potatoes, rice, or milk to starving residents. Food relief both helped unemployed voters and candidates running for office who aligned themselves with the government relief policies of incumbent president with a high approval rating for his handling of the Great Depression.
