Categories: Politics

Why AP called Michigan for Trump

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s lead in the “blue wall” state of Michigan became insurmountable after he improved his margin in Detroit’s county and won overwhelmingly in Republican-leaning parts of the state, closing off Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to victory.

As in other battleground states, Trump’s victory in Michigan, called at 12:54 p.m. Wednesday, came at the margins.

Harris still carried the populous Democratic redoubt of Wayne County, but not at the level President Joe Biden did four years ago. Even if Harris had won 9 out of 10 of the ballots left to be counted she couldn’t have caught Trump at the time the race was called.

Trump won in deep red and more moderate GOP counties and kept within about a percentage point of Harris in politically split parts of the state.

CANDIDATES: President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green) vs. Randall Terry (U.S. Taxpayers Party) v. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Natural Law Party) vs. Joseph Kishore vs. Cornel West.

WINNER: Trump.

POLL CLOSING TIME: 8 p.m. & 9 p.m. ET. Michigan covers two time zones, so most of the state started reporting results while some voters in the Upper Peninsula were casting ballots until 9 p.m. ET.

ABOUT THE RACE:

Michigan played a decisive role in determining the presidency in the previous two White House contests.

The state was one of three presidential battlegrounds, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, that went narrowly for Trump in 2016 after almost 30 years of supporting Democrats for president. Four years later, Democrat Joe Biden won all three states back for Democrats, with a margin in Michigan of about 154,000 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes cast.

The outcome of this year’s election teetered on a knife’s edge. Some working-class areas of the state with generational ties to Democrats gravitated toward Trump. Meanwhile, the former GOP stronghold of Grand Rapids has trended Democratic.

Trump and Harriscampaigned heavily in pursuit of Michigan’s 15 electoral votes since becoming their parties’ nominees, with a focus on populous Detroit and its suburbs and Kent County in the west, home of Grand Rapids and a key swing area of the state.

WHY AP CALLED THE RACE: Trump’s lead in populous Wayne County, home to Detroit and Dearborn, improved on his performance there four years ago, and Harris couldn’t close the gap with the remaining number of votes left to be counted.

___

Learn more about how and why the AP declares winners in U.S. elections at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

News Today

Recent Posts

Apple Vision Pro may get a powerful M5 upgrade in 2025: What we know so far

Apple Vision Pro could see a big upgrade in 2025, delivering a major performance boost,…

1 min ago

Law expert explains safeguards that upheld 2024 election integrity

Law expert explains safeguards that upheld 2024 election integrity - CBS News Watch CBS News…

11 mins ago

Remembering Quincy Jones: 10 career-spanning songs to celebrate his legacy

Few artists have legacies so mammoth their very name could be considered synonymous with the…

16 mins ago

2024 US presidential elections: Trump triumphs in a comeback for the ages

TOI correspondent from Washington: In the greatest comeback in American political history, MAGA supremo Donald…

26 mins ago

An agency-by-agency look at Trump’s plan to overhaul government

2024-11-07 15:30:03 President-elect Trump’s victory promises to bring wholesale shakeups to government operations, as the…

31 mins ago

A Look at the Upcoming Trump Administration’s Policy Priorities | Insights

2024-11-07 15:20:02 President-Elect Donald Trump is poised to expand upon policies he implemented during his…

41 mins ago