Battleground States: Michigan

Michigan native Mitt Romney won the Republican primary in January 2008, promising jobs to workers suffering job cuts due to the state’s collapsing auto industry. Meanwhile Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary, although her two main opponents, Barack Obama and John Edwards, did not appear on the ballot. Both candidates withdrew their names because the state scheduled its presidential primary too early, which resulted in its disqualification.

According to recent poll, only 11 percent of Michigan voters are satisfied with their legislators. Democrat Jennifer Granholm continues to serve as Governor even though her time in office is characterized by Michigan’s budget crisis and tax increases during an already difficult economic period. Granholm, a Clinton supporter, clashed with Obama in January when his allies prevented Michigan from holding a revote of the Democratic primary. She later publicly supported Obama when Clinton endorsed the senator.

Michigan, which holds 17 electoral votes in the presidential election, suffers from the highest unemployment rate in the country. Voters tend to favor candidates who empathize with their situation and call for change. Michigan has voted in favor of Democratic presidential candidates—Bill Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry—since 1992. However the gap between Democratic and Republican votes has been narrowing each year. Current polls show Obama with a 3 percentage point lead over McCain, but Republican Rep. Brian Calley of Michigan points out that “Republicans can pin $1.5 billion in tax increases on Democrats—a potentially strong argument as the cost of living rises in a stagnant economy.”