Over the last month, warning signs for Biden have appeared in the Midwest, especially in the must-win state of Michigan.
USA Today writes, “President Joe Biden, despite visiting Macomb County, Michigan, early this month and dispatching administration officials and campaign aides to the state in recent weeks, still appears to be trailing former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup in the state, 45%-41, with 14% undecided, a new poll showed Wednesday.
That 4-percentage-point split is equal to the poll’s margin of error, meaning statistically speaking the race could be tied. But a number of Michigan polls in recent months have shown Trump ahead of Biden, suggesting the former president does have an edge on the incumbent, even if it’s only a slim one.
And the new poll indicates that Biden’s refusal to heed calls, especially among younger, more progressive Democrats and Michigan’s large Arab American and Muslim communities, to demand an Israeli end to deadly counterattacks in the Gaza Strip appears to be playing a role in his support or lack thereof − a situation which could potentially cost him a vital swing state Trump won in 2016 before Biden recaptured it for Democrats four years ago.
‘It points to a potential Trump win unless things dramatically change,’ said Bernie Porn, the pollster for EPIC-MRA in Lansing, the firm that conducted the survey and provided it to the Free Press. ‘He’s at a point where, before long, he’s got to start moving numbers in his direction.'”
The Center Square recently analyzed traditionally blue Michigan and revealed that not only are voters expressing their support for Trump in polls, they’re also opening up their wallets for the Republican frontrunner.
Donald Trump (R) has raised the most money from Michigan of all presidential candidates, with $1.6 million raised since the start of the campaign cycle. Trump raised $393,092 in the fourth quarter of 2023. Joe Biden (D) has raised the next most from Michigan, with $664,325 since the start of the campaign and $334,659 in the fourth quarter.
Twenty-three notable presidential candidates, including those who have dropped out of the race, raised a total of $3.9 million from Michigan donors between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023. Thirty-five notable candidates raised $28 million in Michigan during the 2020 election cycle, while 25 raised $15.9 million during the 2016 election cycle.
Biden has raised 17% of the money donated in Michigan this election cycle. He received 51% of the vote in 2020. Trump has raised 42% of the money donated in Michigan this election cycle. He received 48% of the vote in 2020.
The next deadline for presidential candidates to report their fundraising figures is Feb. 20, 2024. Those reports will cover the period of Jan. 1-31, 2024. To learn more about presidential election campaign finance, click below.
It’s not particularly surprising that Biden has begun to struggle in The Great Lakes State. The White House’s obsession with EVs has cost Michigan automakers billions of dollars as consumers have begun to abandon electric as they realize that the infrastructure does not exist to use them over long trips.
Recently, Ford announced that it will be cutting back production of one of the most anticipated electric vehicles ever launched.
As part of the, ill-named Inflation Reduction Act, the president promised to spend billions in an effort “to build tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers across the country, aiming to appease anxious drivers while tackling climate change.”
Although the bulk of the money has been spent, Politico reported that so far zero chargers have actually been built.
