A familiar face is sounding the alarm for Democrats in her state: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), who is “worried” that the vice president is overlooking her standing in the crucial swing state. Dingell was equally nervous about Hillary Clinton in 2016, which led to Donald Trump winning the state for the Republicans for the first time since 1988. Despite being a foundational block in the proverbial ‘blue wall’ for Democrats, Dingell claims her state is ‘purple,’ not reliably Democratic, and if the GOP finds a message or messenger that carries, her state will go red. The congresswoman outlined those fears for Politico before the September 10 debate:
Rep. Debbie Dingell, who raised alarm about Clinton’s Michigan support in 2016, expresses concern about Harris’ standing in the state — POLITICO pic.twitter.com/ebXqopDRYV
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) September 11, 2024
Some Democrats say they’re watching not only for how she not only draws a clear contrast with Trump, but also how she distances herself from President Joe Biden. That could get tricky.
“I think she’s going to walk a very thin line: Loyalty matters, and yet she’s also going to show what she’s going to do to address issues that are on peoples’ minds,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).
Dingell had been a lonely voice as she warned her party about Hillary Clinton’s struggles in Michigan in 2016 against Trump. And said she was still “worried” about Harris’ standing: “We’re a purple state,” she told us. “We’re tied. I don’t care what anybody else says.”
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers watched the Biden-Trump debate with horror and later called on the president to end his reelection bid. Since then, Democrats have seen a surge of enthusiasm for Harris, and many in the party hope the energy translates down-ballot.
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Harris isn’t seeing a significant bump over Trump post-debate. It’s not a margin where Democrats can be comfortable as the Trump vote is consistently underestimated. A one-to-three-point bump isn’t going to cut it. With the latest assassination attempt on Trump’s life, the projections must be retooled in the coming days. However, the media is trying to bury or blame the former president for this incident.
One group that’s keeping things tight in Michigan: black men. They’re breaking for Trump (via NY Post):
New polling of the battleground Wolverine State suggests the Tuesday debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump didn’t help the Democrat in the chase for 15 electoral votes — though the Republican’s performance was widely panned.
The Insider Advantage survey conducted Wednesday and Thursday morning shows the former president with a 49% to 48% lead in Michigan, an advantage that includes a 5-point lead with independents, per pollster Matt Towery.
[…]
“The poll also showed a slightly higher amount of support for Trump among African-Americans (around 20%), which may be an aberration, or a reflection of higher African-American numbers seen in recent national surveys such as The New York Times survey,” Towery adds.
It's something to keep an eye on, but winning Pennsylvania is the key here. Win there and everything falls in line.
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