The Cook Political Report has reevaluated its prediction for which candidate will win Michigan in the upcoming presidential election, now rating it as “leans Democratic” rather than as a “toss up.”
President Donald Trump, a Republican, won the state in 2016, but Cook found that presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden has the advantage in 2020 thanks to his strong polling there and in similar swing states like Pennsylvania.
However, Cook’s Amy Walter notes that “given how quickly this year turned from ordinary to extraordinary, there's every reason to believe that the political landscape can change again before this fall. Trump's floor remains incredibly steady. If the bottom hasn't fallen out for Trump now, it's hard to see that it ever will.”
Cook also shifted Iowa and Ohio from “Likely Republican” to the “more competitive ‘Lean Republican’ category.”
Walter adds that “Michigan no longer fits neatly into the box it once did. For years, Democrats held this state thanks to their powerful coalition of union voters and African-American voters in Detroit.
"Today, the state, like so many others in the country, is divided along race as well as educational and religious lines. While many blame [2016 Democratic candidate Hillary] Clinton's narrow loss in the state to anemic turnout among African-Americans, Trump's unique appeal to white, non-college voters was also a huge factor. These non-college white voters are just as critical in 2020," she added.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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