Voters in Michigan are in for a fiery election this fall as the two major presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump aim to take home the state’s coveted electoral college votes. This largely blue-collar state is particularly important to the election due to its large industrial and working-class population. Both candidates have long histories in the state, as Biden was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Trump has been a part of the Michigan business community since his early days.
Trump’s economic policies have long appealed to the manufacturing-heavy state’s industrial workers, including reintroducing and expanding tariff-free trade zones, removing economic burdens from companies to bring jobs back to the United States, and cutting red tape and regulations that tie up businesses. However, Biden’s pro-worker policies and promise to rebuild the social safety net could prove attractive to Michigan’s working-classcitizens, earn him their loyalty and help him gain the in-state electoral edge.
Biden promises to increase the minimum wage, provide universal health care and restore economic security for those who have been struggling the most in the wake of the Great Recession. He has also vowed to create new jobs with investments in green energy and infrastructure, further enticing the state’s workers.
Trump, on the other hand, has a longstanding reputation of being anti-worker and for cutting taxes for the wealthy, while leaving working and middle-class families to foot the bill. The president has consistently attacked workers’ rights, taking aim at unions, raising the wages of the lowest-paid workers, and limiting the safety net benefits many rely on. The president’s tirades against the media and Biden himself could also work against him in Michigan, who have a federal base of support for the Democratic nominee.
Both candidates have courted the state’s working-class voters for the 2020 election, making their stances clear on topics fomenting economic reform to healthcare. With the election just a few months away, Michigan is sure to be an interesting battleground as Biden and Trump square off to prove who is best suited to serve the state’s working-class citizens.