Business
Political visits have helped La Crosse Center make money this election year
An Associated Press survey shows that Wisconsin is among the top three states for presidential campaign events this year — third behind Pennsylvania and Michigan.
There’s a good chance La Crosse could get more political visits before the election, seeing that the La Crosse Center has already hosted Donald Trump and Kamala Harris separately in 2024.
The deputy director of the La Crosse Center, Jared Flick, said on La Crosse Talk PM that Trump’s town in August was a money-maker for the building’s food stands.
La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-9 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.
“We really didn’t know what they were gonna do, and what they were gonna allow us to do,” Flick said. “And during our contract negotiations of what they were gonna pay to use the space, we said, hey, what do you think about us selling concessions, and they just kind of shrugged their shoulders and said, go for it.” The Trump appearance happened in the early evening, and started a little later than planned.
Flick noted the Trump rally brought in close to 8,000, which is the building’s biggest crowd in some time. The Harris event in April was an invite-only affair, before she was the presidential nominee.
They were “two different experiences for us,” Flick said. “Obviously, with Vice President Harris being in town, that was kind of our first look at the Secret Service and everything else, and then when Trump came to town, it was very different, just because of the size, the scope, and kind of the notice that we got for what was coming.”
Some of the larger visits by presidents and candidates have happened outside the La Crosse Center, including a Bill Clinton speech in 1998, and a Barack Obama rally shortly before his election in 2008. Events coming up soon at the Center include bull-riding contests and two nights of comedy shows featuring Charlie Berens.