CQPolitics

In 1854, a group of dissatisfied Whigs, Free Soilers and Democrats met in a Ripon schoolhouse in Fond du Lac County to dream up the Republican Party. Today, the 6th District’s inland farms and small towns hold enough socially conservative Lutherans and Catholics to provide a distinct Republican lean despite having the largest population of blue-collar workers in the state. In the 2004 presidential election, every county in the 6th except Adams supported George W. Bush.

Manitowoc County, on Lake Michigan, has a longstanding reputation as a shipbuilding center. South along the lake, Sheboygan County is famed for its meat processing, calling itself the “bratwurst capital of the world.” The county also is known for manufacturing, including plumbing company Kohler. Near the inland Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh — where the “B’Gosh” overalls originated more than a century ago - is one of the largest producers of military and specialty trucks in the world. And the paper industry, based mainly in Neenah and Menasha, is a leading employer for the district.

Although family dairy farms in the district have struggled, the 6th’s west remains farming territory. Large corporate farms have acquired some small farms, making them more profitable, and others have turned away from dairy to new crops such as beans, peas and corn. Fruits and vegetables thrive in Adams County, and Marquette and Waushara counties grow Christmas trees.

Many of the 6th’s residents are descendants of German immigrants who settled the area in the 1850s, and the district still claims more people of German ancestry (60 percent) than any other in the nation. In more recent waves of immigration, the Hmong population continues to grow in Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Winnebago counties.

Major Industry

Paper, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing

Cities

Oshkosh, 62,916; Sheboygan, 50,792; Fond du Lac, 42,203

Notable

The Wisconsin Maritime Museum is in Manitowoc; Oshkosh’s annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture convention draws hundreds of thousands of people and exhibits 10,000 airplanes.