Voters Debate Electability, Defeating Trump in Michigan March 10th Primary

Voters are getting ready to head to the polls on Tuesday for Michigan’s presidential primary elections.

“There’s a heightened interest in public policy this year. I think it’s the Trump Effect.” — CitizenDetroit CEO Sheila Cockrel.

The field of more than 20 candidates on the Democratic side has effectively narrowed down to two — former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). That choice between the more moderate former vice president and the self-described Democratic Socialist senator from Vermont poses a tough question for many voters here in Southeast Michigan.

On Detroit Today, Stephen Henderson speaks with a panel of guests representing diverse voices in Metro Detroit.

Click on the player above to hear Detroit Today’s panel of guests preview Tuesday’s primary and talk about how the race has unfolded so far.

Guests

Sheila Cockrel is the CEO of CitizenDetroit and a former Detroit City Council member.

She says voters are more engaged in this year’s process compared to years past, especially here in the city of Detroit. “There’s a heightened interest in public policy this year. I think it’s the Trump Effect,” says Cockrel.

Dave Garcia is the executive director of Affirmations, Michigan’s largest LGBTQ community center. “Electability is at the front of a lot of our minds,” says Garcia. 

“I’ve usually voted by now, and my absentee ballot is still sitting in the front of my Jeep.”

Osama Siblani is the publisher of the Arab American News. He’s supporting Sanders in Tuesday’s primary. Siblani says Sanders is resonating among Arab voters, as he did in 2016 when that group helped propel him ahead of Hillary Clinton in this state’s primary. “We should vote based on principles,” he says, pushing against the idea that electability should be one of voters’ top concerns. 

“No one can predict who will beat Trump in November.”