Donald Trump Wins Michigan, Completes Red Wall in Rust Belt

President-elect Donald Trump has won the state of Michigan as he runs up the score on Vice President Kamala Harris in the electoral college.

The Associated Press called Michigan for Trump on Wednesday afternoon, with more than 95 percent of the vote reported. As of 1:00 p.m. Eastern, the New York Times’ election results show that Trump had 49.7 percent of the vote and Harris garnered 48.3 percent.

Along with Michigan, he has also secured Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which Democrats have touted as a “blue wall.” Trump has made it his red wall in two elections now, 2016 and 2024.

Michigan’s 15 electoral votes falling into Trump’s column puts him at 301 on the evening and he is six for six in the swing states thus far, with just Arizona left to go.

Like all other swing states, polling showed a very tight race in Michigan through the home stretch of the election and heading into election night, and the state was rated as a true toss-up.

Two major issues driving attitudes in Michigan this election cycle have been Democrats’ push for radical electric vehicle (EV) mandates and the Israel-Hamas war.

 The administration put forth a rule in the spring to phase out gas-powered vehicles by requiring most cars sold in the U.S. by 2032 to be EVs or hybrids.

Trump has forecasted this would annihilate Michigan’s auto industry and cede the market to China. He has vowed to end the Biden-Harris administration’s rule and to use tariffs to protect America’s auto industry from foreign competitors such as China.

The conflict in the Middle East has also greatly impacted the political dynamics in Arab-American communities in Michigan.

More than 100,000 Democrat primary voters in Michigan protested the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the war with uncommitted votes in February. They demanded a ceasefire in the conflict and threatened to stay home on November 5 unless one was reached.

Harris has not reached a ceasefire and repeatedly doubled down on the existing policies of her and Biden’s administration, further alienating voters, including Arab Americans, Muslims, young Americans, and progressives who were a part of the “Uncommitted” movement behind the protest vote in the February primary.

Data shows that turnout for Harris was down significantly, and it was up significantly for Trump in some of these key Arab-American dense counties in Michigan. For instance, Trump performed better in Oakland County by some 11,600 votes compared to his 2020 haul, while Harris underperformed Biden’s 2020 showing by some 15,000 votes.