Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar visit Wisconsin 14 months before state's presidential primary

Welcome to Wisconsin, the new Iowa.

Fourteen months before Wisconsin's 2020 presidential primary, Democrats are already descending on the state to pick up support ahead of what could be a drawn-out battle for the nomination.

On Friday, Beto O'Rourke of Texas met with students in Milwaukee and Madison, fueling speculation about a potential run for president. He said he hoped "to have a decision very soon, as soon as the end of this month."

And on Saturday morning, Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is set to make a stop in Eau Claire before heading to Iowa.

There are plenty of reasons Democrats are already focusing on Wisconsin.

It's a political battleground that propelled President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 and will likely prove crucial in 2020.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton did not appear in the state during the 2016 general election, a self-inflicted wound that still cuts deep with a lot of local Democrats. The symbolism of early visits by candidates won't be lost on party activists.

Even though Wisconsin's primary is relatively late in the cycle, April 2020, it could matter in the nomination fight, especially with a large presidential field assembling.

Added to the mix: Milwaukee is among three finalists to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Houston and Miami Beach are also in contention, with a decision due by the end of the month.

RELATED:Milwaukee secures line of credit for its 2020 Democratic convention bid, clearing last major hurdle

"Wisconsin is extraordinarily important," O'Rourke said.

Asked if the state was overlooked by Democrats in the last election, O'Rourke said: "It sure seems that way to me," adding, "when we fail to show up, we get what we deserve."   

Without taking sides in the convention race, O'Rourke said a convention here would provide "an extraordinary opportunity for the people of Milwaukee to tell their story, for the candidates to listen to what's on the minds of those who live here."

O'Rourke, a former congressman, lost in a close race to Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2018.

Since his U.S. Senate defeat, O'Rourke said he had been spending time in El Paso with his wife and their three children but that he has also done "a little traveling" to listen to people across the country.

"That is why before even deciding or announcing, I want to make sure I get a chance to meet people on a human to human level, not in a crowd, not as part of a campaign, but in the most honest, raw and real way possible," O'Rourke said.

He called a potential presidential run "a very exciting prospect but it's an extraordinary responsibility and challenge" that he and his wife want to think through.

Last month, he went on a solo road trip to meet voters in the Southwest. Monday, he led a march and rally in his hometown of El Paso, the same night that Trump appeared in the city to speak in support of a border wall.

O'Rourke said "there is not an emergency at the border," and said he hoped Trump's emergency declaration to build a border wall would be "successfully challenged in the courts."

"What we know to be true is that walls do not make us safer, in fact they make us less safe," O'Rourke said. "They don't save lives, in fact they end lives."

He said "legitimate security concerns" must be met through focusing on ports of entry and "investing in personnel, technology and infrastructure will make us safer."

O'Rourke listened to 20 students at Milwaukee Area Technical College, calling the conversation "inspiring and encouraging." He sat alongside school president Vicki J. Martin.

"Where you think this country is getting it right, where you think this country can do a far better job," O'Rourke asked the students.

RELATED:MATC students living on economic margins rely on emergency funding to avoid homelessness, hunger

Students told him of their personal experiences. One man talked about his struggle with opioid addiction. Another man spoke of a friend who was killed by gun violence. And a woman discussed being unable to land a job because of a years-old criminal conviction.

O'Rourke was attentive throughout.

He made an impassioned call for the country to deal with climate change even though it "will be so politically difficult, so expensive, so hard."

"We also know that in this country we have the innovation, the brains, the hard work, the history of meeting existential challenges and succeeding," he said. "I know we can pull this off."

He discussed "historic income equality" and said investment in education is "a test and challenge before us."

He also was candid.

He called performing at a concert with Willie Nelson during the Senate campaign "a mix of politics and music that was just (bleeping) beautiful."

In a statement, the Republican Party of Wisconsin said: "O’Rourke is one of several potential 2020 presidential candidates currently in a race to the radical left. As an unabashed liberal who has no interest in moving to the middle, O’Rourke is just the latest example of a Democrat primary field stumbling over itself to  determine who is more out of touch with Wisconsin families."