Hear how the world is reacting to Donald Trump’s presidential victory
Political leaders and residents of many countries have expressed their opinions about Donald Trump’s victory.
Former President Donald Trump won Michigan on Tuesday as part of a national wave election in which he easily outperformed his 2020 numbers, combined with factors that had particular resonance in Michigan, such as the war in Gaza and the reduced intensity on the abortion issue, according to experts and a Free Press analysis of election data.
Analysts say several factors contributed to Trump’s victory in Michigan. Many of these affected Trump’s performance across the country, including concerns about the economy and inflation; “culture war” issues such as transgender athletes competing in women’s sports; issues related to immigration and the US-Mexico border, and Trump’s improved performance among black and brown voters.
Michigan, which The Associated Press called a victory for Trump shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, fell in what was clearly a wave election. Trump won the other ‘blue wall’ states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on track for a return to the White House, while also winning battleground states North Carolina and Georgia, while Arizona and Nevada are still too close to call as of Wednesday morning.
But three factors may have been particularly influential in Michigan: the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza war, which hurt Vice President Kamala Harris in the Dearborn and Hamtramck areas and may also have boosted support among young people in college towns softens; and the diminished urgency of abortion as an election issue in Michigan afterward voters signed reproductive rights into the state constitution in 2022. The Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles was also widely seen as a threat to Michigan’s automotive jobs, said Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
Trump flipped two Michigan counties that Biden won in 2020 — Muskegon and Saginaw — unofficial figures show, while improving his performance in several Michigan counties he won in 2020, according to state data and unofficial results compiled by The Associated Press. Harris did not flip any Michigan counties that Trump won in 2020, based on unofficial results collected by The AP.
Harris’ fight in Michigan and across the country was inevitable, said David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University.
“I think this election was about the economy and more specifically about inflation,” he said. “I think immigration was a big factor and I think abortion was less of an issue than we might have been led to believe.”
Dulio said issues like transgender rights may have mattered on the margins and that the war in Gaza was a factor among Arab-American voters. Trump visited Dearborn to look for votes there and got them, winning the traditionally Democratic stronghold, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein likely siphoning votes from Harris.
“I think it’s largely a protest vote about the Biden administration’s policies toward Israel and the war in Gaza,” Dulio said. “I think I’ve even seen some anecdotes from some voters specifically stating that they don’t want Trump, but they’re not voting for Harris.”
Mario Morrow Sr., a longtime political consultant from the Detroit area, agreed that the economy was crucial to voters and said voters blamed her for things they didn’t like about Biden.
“I think Biden’s baggage weighed extremely heavily on the vice president,” Morrow said. “The twist was the Harris and Biden administration. Suddenly it became her administration.”
The economy likely drove Trump’s gains among young men, including minorities. Morrow said other factors unique to Harris may have also hurt her.
“I think sexism and racism played a big role,” he said. “The Republicans, in my opinion, felt that they were not comfortable with a woman number one and a black woman number two as commander in chief.”
Morrow also said Harris may have overplayed her hand on abortion rights.
“When she first started running, all she stood for was reproductive rights and the abortion issue,” he said. “A lot of guys got knocked out.”
Morrow said he was shocked by the election results.
“We have a lot of healing to do, and that will take some time,” he said. “We need a lot of people on both sides of the aisle to step up and get that process started.”
Bellwether Saginaw County has extended its record of voting for the statewide winner in every presidential race since 1992. Based on 99% of estimated votes, unofficial figures showed Trump had 51% support in Saginaw County, compared to 48% for Harris, The Associated Press reported. Saginaw County supported Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016.
Near Detroit, Trump improved his performance in Macomb County, which has long been a popular window into Michigan politics for national pundits. Based on 99% of estimated votes counted, Trump led Harris in Macomb 56% to 42%, compared to 53% to 45% in 2020.
Although Wayne County’s numbers lagged behind many other locations in Michigan, Trump won the city of Dearbornwhere 55% of residents are of Middle Eastern descent.
In Washtenaw County, home to the University of Michigan, Harris, based on 99% of estimated votes counted, had 71% support, compared to just under 27% for Trump, according to unofficial results obtained by AP. In 2020, Biden had 73% support, compared to 27% for Trump.
Leelanau County near Traverse City, a growth area for wealthy Michigan and Illinois residents, was one of relatively few counties in the country where Harris performed better against Trump than Biden in 2020.
Based on 99% of estimated votes, Harris had 53% support in Leelanau, compared to just over 40% for Trump. In 2020, Biden won Leelanau, but in a much closer race with Trump: 52% to 47%.
In some counties he won in 2020, Trump marginally increased his percentage of the vote, while his total vote count increased significantly.
For example, in Dickinson County, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Trump led Harris 67% to 31%, based on 99% of votes counted and AP estimates. In 2020, Trump defeated Biden by a smaller margin, 66% to 33%, but Trump received only 9,617 Dickinson votes, compared to more than 10,300 votes Tuesday, an increase of more than 7%.
In Kent County in western Michigan, Harris also fell short of Biden’s 2020 margin of victory. With rounding, she won by 4 points, based on AP estimates, compared to Biden’s 6-point victory. In raw votes, her margin was about 4,800 votes smaller than Biden’s, the data show.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected].