Dingell says Trump Still has Chance to Win Michigan

Michigan Democrat, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, says Donald Trump’s anti-trade jobs message could still win him the state.

Jake Neher/WDET

A high-profile Michigan Democrat says Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump still has a real chance to win the state in November’s general election.

Trump won Michigan’s March presidential primary, riding his message that he would renegotiate trade deals and impose tariffs on companies that outsource jobs in order to keep manufacturers from moving out of the state.

Many polls across the country show Hillary Clinton leading Trump nationally and in most key battleground states.

But pollsters also predicted Clinton would win Michigan’s presidential primary by double digits. She narrowly lost to Bernie Sanders.

Now Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who is in the midst of running for her second term in office, says Trump’s promise to keep American jobs in the U.S. could still resonate with some in Michigan’s electorate.

“Nobody believed me when I said he could get the nomination,” Dingell remembered. “I think Michigan is competitive.  If you’ve got strong feelings, if you’re worried about the direction of the country, I hope everybody knows that their vote matters.”

Analysts say Trump has to win some or all of the states that made up Barack Obama’s so-called “Midwest firewall” to have a realistic shot at winning the presidency.  

But pollsters also hedge that there remains a significant percentage of voters who are undecided or supporting third party candidates and their eventual choice could still swing the election to either major party presidential contender.

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter
    Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.