As goes Wisconsin, so goes the nation.

That's how Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki describes the state's influence in 2020.

Being a battleground state narrowly won by President Donald Trump in 2016 with 10 critical electoral votes, Wisconsin is about to see a whole lot of presidential candidates.

In the last few months, we've seen a handful of presidential hopefuls, and President Trump has paid multiple visits here.

"No one is going to take Wisconsin for granted," Zepecki said.

Some voters say they see rallies and town halls as the key to winning a state, while others say they're just shows put on at the expense of the taxpayers.

Casey Hicks, of De Pere, believes no candidate can afford to skip a visit to Wisconsin as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did in 2016.

"We were effectively ignored in 2016 by the Clinton campaign," Hicks said. "This time around, there's no way any presidential candidate can ignore Wisconsin because in almost every scenario, Wisconsin is the deciding state in the 2020 election."

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Candidates aren't always the most reliable when it comes to paying for the local resources they use to host their rallies and campaign stops.

Trump and Clinton still owe at least $75,000 from 2016 campaign events.

That's something Arletta Bertrand of Luxemburg is concerned about.

"The city where the event is held has to cover the expense of security and very seldom gets reimbursed," she said.

As Wisconsin prepares to become ground zero for the 2020 presidential election with a crowded field of over two dozen candidates, how are municipalities preparing for the eye of the storm?

Wausau openly welcoming candidates

Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, said a city like Wausau may be a strong attraction for the president's reelection campaign, given his strong base of support in the area — and officials say they're open for visits.

Mayor Robert Mielke said he's excited to see Wisconsin gain early attention for 2020 and knows all eyes may soon be on his town of 40,000 as the presidential race draws closer.

“I think it’s great that Wisconsin is getting more attention ... no matter who the candidate is,” Mielke said of the candidates planning to visit Wisconsin.

Mielke recalled the importance of past campaign events in Wausau — mostly hosted by Republicans like former President Ronald Reagan — but Democrats like former President Jimmy Carter, too.

“Most residents are very interested in seeing and hearing these individuals," Mielke said.

That interest was evident during Trump's rally last October at the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee. The Trump administration is known for its rallies, and Mosinee was no exception.

"The place was packed," Mielke said.

While Mielke recognized campaign events can be expensive, he added that the city always make things work since the benefits outweigh the costs.

"The welcome mat is open for you," Mielke said to prospective candidates. "It’s important for residents ... to hear what candidates have to say."

To prepare for campaign events, Mielke said local campaign staff work with law enforcement and the city well in advance, — although sometimes events are put together at the last minute.

The bulk of expenses are in overtime pay for local law enforcement who provide security during the events. Mielke said that depending on the situation, the majority of costs are covered by a candidate's campaign, while some are covered by the city with funds set aside in the budget.

Mielke could not recall any reimbursement issues Wausau had with campaigns in the past — which hasn't always been the case for other cities.

Green Bay hesitant, but assertive

Green Bay may be one of the biggest swing regions of the state, said Republican strategist Brian Reisinger. That means presidential candidates may be making stops there on a regular basis.

The city does not include funding for campaign events in its budget, said Celestine Jeffreys, chief of staff for Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich. Instead, it bills the campaign after an event for reimbursement for public safety costs.

But Green Bay taxpayers still have not been reimbursed from events in 2016. A Clinton campaign event before the 2016 presidential primaries cost the city $11,892 which has yet to be paid back. Similarly, a campaign stop from Trump which cost $9,380 remains unpaid.

"We work very closely with the Secret Service and our other neighbor law enforcement agencies so we can provide adequate police protection that is cost-effective to taxpayers," Jeffreys said.

Jeffreys said the city will remain assertive when working with campaigns in the coming election cycle.

"It is a great benefit to a community to have presidential candidates, especially before they’ve been chosen by their parties," Jeffreys said. "However, we need to also make sure that our community is not footing those bills for public safety costs."

Green Bay is also considering billing a sitting president — a practice it has refrained from in the past, according to Jeffreys.

While Jeffreys recognized a "small economic benefit" in hosting campaign events, she said another more "tangential" benefit is that campaign stops keep Green Bay in the minds of Americans. She said campaign events are a way for residents to be more engaged in the political process.

"We anticipate there will be a lot of attention paid to Green Bay and Brown County," Jeffreys said. "That’s very exciting — but we will also be sure to mind our penny.”

Political strategy to win Wisconsin

Republicans say they want to build a grassroots base to motivate voters with a strong focus on swing and rural areas. Democrats say they want to put their energy into three main media markets in Wisconsin which include Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay.

"There’s been a lot of work done by the local county parties and the Republican Party of Wisconsin to build a grassroots juggernaut to really marshal up the volunteers and the people and the enthusiasm that it takes to win," Reisinger said.

Reisinger said he expects the Fox Valley region to be a strong target for Trump as well as Democratic challengers looking to flip the area blue.

He said Democrats will have a difficult time understanding the needs of rural communities in Wisconsin, which puts Republicans in a strong position especially.

"Some (Democratic candidates) will prove they think it's just flyover country and Wisconsin people can detect that well," he said.

According to Zepecki, Democrats' ability to win Wisconsin will rely on getting a strong voter base in Green Bay and winning Milwaukee and Madison by a landslide.

Zepecki sees the crowded field of candidates as an advantage. He credits the governor's race last year as a successful example of how a big field can be healthy.

Gov. Tony Evers won the Democratic nomination in an eight-way primary last November, and went on to defeat then-Gov. Scott Walker.

"It makes the candidate who is going to emerge as our nominee better equipped for the general election," Zepecki said. "They are going to get better as a candidate throughout this process because it is so hard to distinguish yourself from 24 other people, so I don’t see a problem with a large field."

Voters skeptical of campaign visits

In an unscientific survey, the majority of respondents told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that they've never been to a political rally and have no interest in attending one.

"It’s just a lot of costly hype," said Brenda Korinek of Manitowoc, who said she's been to events in the past but wouldn't travel for them next year.

Tim Somers of Appleton said he is indifferent to them.

"Our political situation is just a clown show right now, does it really matter?" he said.

While Green Bay native Joel Zimmerman believes it's important for candidates to listen to the concerns of residents in Wisconsin, he also doesn't think much of the events.

"As far as the big rallies where they make a bunch of BS promises that seems like a waste of my time," he said.

Others like Lisa O'Connor of Oshkosh are a little more hopeful that presidential hopefuls will consider Wisconsin in their campaigns and believes they can make a difference in the election outcome.

"Wisconsin can be counted on to vote on the candidates and issues," she said. "We don’t vote party line."

Contact Mica Soellner at 920-996-7226 or msoellner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @micasoellner. Contact Hibah Ansari at 920-996-7266 or hansari@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AnsariHibah.