WAUKESHA, Wis. — They say good fences make good neighbors, but for owners of a Waukesha duplex, good Halloween decor might be the answer. The two neighbor sit on opposite sides of the political spectrum. But as their sign in front says, “Divided by politics, United by Halloween.”
When you drive past Ben White and Shielah Andersen’s duplex in Waukesha, it isn’t hard to see why people do a double take.
“We have been driving by your house all the time and we are like, we have to stop, we gotta ask,” says TMJ4 Reporter Rebecca Klopf.
“You ain’t the only one,” said Ben.
Ben and Shielah might share a wall, but they do not share the same political views. Shielah’s yard is covered with signs supporting Vice President Kalama Harris for President. While Ben is backing former President Donald Trump.
“Are you guys yelling at each other and taking signs?” asked Rebecca.
“No, not at all,” said Ben.
They say it all started eight years ago during the 2016 President Election with a Trump sign.
“A friend of mine put the Trump sign up down there. And that’s all we had. Then, she started putting the other little signs up. So I'm like I’ll add to it,” said Ben.
“We kind of have this friendly rivalry where we go back and forth about who we support,” said Shielah.
In the battleground state of Wisconsin, suburban counties like Waukesha County are considered key. It represents the third most populated county in the state. Waukesha County which had been overwhelmingly Republican in the past has seen Trump win it with more than 60 percent of the votes in 2016 and 2020. But the number of voters picking Trump in Waukesha County shrunk in those 4 years by about 10,000 votes.
2020 Election Results in Waukesha County
Joe Biden 103,906
Donald Trump 159,649
(55,743 vote difference)
2016 Election Results in Waukesha County
Donald Trump 142,521
Hillary Clinton 79,200
(63,321 vote difference)
Where will votes go this year, Ben and Shielah disagree.
"I want to say mixed,” said Ben.
“I feel like it is shifting,” said Shielah.
But they have one thing they overwhelmingly can agree on, they love Halloween.
“I don't know if it is the that brings us together, but it is something we share and we both enjoy and we can decorate our whole yard,” said Shielah.
"America is divided so bad as it is right now but we live next door with the division going on I ain't got no issues with her."
“Are you guys friends?” asks Rebecca.
“Yeah, I’d say,” said Shielah.
“True,” said Ben.
In-person absentee voting begins on Tuesday, October 22.
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