Donald Trump got walloped last night in Wisconsin, but he comes home to New York State hoping to rebuild momentum. With New York’s Republican primary less than two weeks away, a lot of his supporters in upstate communities say they are not swayed by the scandals surrounding Trump's campaign or the setback he experienced in Wisconsin.

Trump looks strong in the North Country

Polls have told us for months that Donald Trump is really popular in upstate and northern New York. Last January when Trump traveled to Burlington, Vermont, supporters like PJ Pritchard from Malone made the trip to see him and join the rally.

"We need to make America great again and make America the way it was when our fathers were there," Pritchard said. "I have a lot of faith in [Trump]. You've got to get the immigrants out of here. In order to make that happen, you need someone to step up and have the power to get them out."

In the months that followed however, Trump has taken big hits from all sides, including fierce attacks from Republican leaders. This ad, sponsored by a conservative political action committee, recounted the ugly things Trump has said about women and family values.

Pushing back against political correctness

He's excited a lot of folks that typically don't pay attention to the political process.

But Trump voters in upstate New York seem unfazed. "The difference is that we have a businessman who has shown that he can accomplish many things," said Sue McNeil. She works at a hospital in Fulton County and chairs that county’s Republican Committee.

Those attacks seemed to have worked in Wisconsin and whittled away Trump’s support.

McNeil said she is glad Trump walked back his statement that women who receive abortions should be punished. But she thinks people offended by his ugly statements about women should lighten up or grow a thicker skin. "Talk about political correctness," she said. "Women, suck it up."

At a Trump rally last week in Ithaca, Perry Onderdonk dismissed concerns about one of Trump’s campaign officials who grabbed a reporter and was charged with assault. In an interview with WRVO radio, Onderdonk said the reporter, a woman, seemed to be threatening the candidate with something she held in her hand. "Maybe it was a pen, maybe it was a knife, maybe it was an exploding pen," Onderdonk said. "I can't wait for this to go to trial."

Supporters say Trump is different - in a good way

Normally, these are the kinds of controversies that would hobble a top-tier candidate. But Trump’s supporters just do not see him as a normal politician, they’re not measuring him by that yardstick. He is a larger-than-life businessman. He’s a winner. If that means he comes with a few rough edges, that’s okay.

"He's not trying to lie about it," said Gage Emerson, a 19-year-old freshman studying at SUNY Canton who thinks there is actually a method to Donald Trump’s provocative approach as a media star and a campaigner. "He'll say controversial things, but all that does is, it gets people watching him. It just grabs people's attention. He's not a pushover either. Look where Donald Trump is now; he's number one," Emerson said.

Trump’s brash, sometimes offensive persona clearly appeals to some voters, but they are also fueled by a sense that America has gone haywire, that the country is off the rails. They think Democrats are a lost cause, but they are also disenchanted with more traditional Republican leaders.

Bob Bayruns, a 20-year Air Force veteran who is retired and now manages a hardware store in Saranac Lake.

"He’s a one of a kind, he’s different. And I just think his dynamics and his ability to get people to work for him. I mean, he’s successful. He gets people to do things that no other politician can do," said

Every Trump supporter North Country Public Radio talked to personally was really thoughtful. They were educated, they were following the news from a lot of different sources. They have heard all the things about Donald Trump being bad for the Republican Party and bad for the country and they just don’t buy it. They are sick of normal politics in America and they think Donald Trump might be the answer. "He's going to get the right people" to advise him, Bayruns said. "I don't think he's going to be the loose cannon that everybody thinks he's going to be."

This support isn’t just symbolic. It could represent a real firewall for Trump, a chance to hold off his Republican challengers and regain momentum after a couple of bruising weeks.

"I was tasked with the [Trump] campaign with getting county chairs on board," said Tom Dadey chair of Onondaga County’s Republican Party. He spoke last week in Syracuse with WRVO public radio. Dadey said he thinks Republican voters will give Donald Trump a big win in New York. "Let's face it, the upstate economy has struggled for years. Trump has come along, he's a businessperson, he's outside the political realm and he's excited a lot of folks that typically don't pay attention to the political process," Dadey said.

Polls give Donald Trump reason to hope he’ll stay number one at least in New York. The latest surveys show him with double digit leads over his Republican rivals.