How Michigan explains American politics

How Republicans won Michigan, how they lost it, and what it all tells us.
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The “blue wall” once referred to a group of Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast states that, conventional wisdom said, “always vote for Democrats.” Unfortunately for Democrats, that was wrong, and in 2016 Donald Trump shockingly won three “blue wall” states - including, narrowly, the state of Michigan.
It maybe shouldn’t have been such a shock, though. All three of the “blue” states Trump won actually had a history of electing Republicans at the state level. Michigan in particular had been fully taken over since 2010 by Republicans, who then spent years gutting unions, restricting abortion, loosening environmental protections, and generally just turning a Republican policy wish list into law. So Trump winning Michigan was, in a way, just the culmination of a years-long drift to the right there.
But by 2022, something had changed dramatically. In a midterm election where Republicans were favored, Democrats won every branch of elected government in Michigan - governor, state House, and state Senate. The state Senate in particular had not been under Democratic control since 1984. And Democrats got busy using their new power immediately: repealing much of the right-wing legislation of the previous years, passing strong LGBTQ protections, quadrupling a tax credit for the poor, and allocating a billion dollars for the auto industry to transition to electric cars. Suddenly Michigan was cranking out more progressive legislation than almost any other state in the US.
So to recap: Michigan was once a blue state, except it wasn’t actually, and in fact over time it got pretty red, but then it became an actual blue state. (Again?) Or something like that. Obviously, the truth is that Michigan is a swing state. But the story of each of those swings is actually key to understanding how US politics work in the 2010s and 2020s. And it can tell us a lot about our next election, too.
Chapters:
0:00 The blue wall
2:42 Maps
4:52 The bellwether
9:51 Exit polls
13:08 2022
15:43 Michigan and the US
Correction: the timeline incorrectly shows Republicans winning control of the state House in 2006. Democrats won the House that year.
Sources:
For Michigan election data we drew from two useful websites from the Michigan Department of State. First, they have election results down to the county level going back to the late 90s: www.michigan.gov/sos/election...
They also have a tool that produces election results down to the city/township level: miboecfr.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/...
To show national and statewide exit polls over time, we used NBC News’s data - they’re among the only organizations whose granular exit poll results both nationally and statewide going back a decade are still publicly available.
Here are links to their Michigan exit polls from 2012-2022:
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2012...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/elec...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022...
And here are their national exit polls from 2012-2022:
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2012...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/elec...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022...
The average per capita personal income of each Michigan county came from the US’s Bureau of Economic Analysis: shorturl.at/jtyM5
The question about whether the 2020 election should be overturned came from a May 2022 poll by Detroit’s chamber of commerce: www.detroitchamber.com/wp-con...
The data on Middle Eastern and North African Americans came from the 2020 US Census (which was the first one ever to ask about the US’s MENA population!): www.census.gov/library/storie...
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[@Vox]

Hey, thanks for watching. There's a ton more to this story we had to leave out, even in a video this long: Flint! Bernie! The 2022 GOP primary! But out of all the hours of local Michigan news I watched for this, the one clip I was saddest to cut from the video was this one, about the Macomb County Republican Party. It's a real doozy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZyXgoWdr7Nqr8k Anyway, happy 2024. Election coming up, are you excited? For the election? Between the same two extremely old men from four years ago? Obviously we are. Still, we want to know what you think we should cover before then. What would help you understand this moment in US politics better? Let us know in the comments below. And thanks again for watching. -Adam

[@colin1444]

I hope trump wins

[@smoothcriminal5650]

Not American but my vote goes to Vox

[@colin1444]

I’m a proud American and I’m voting for Mr. Make America Great Again!

[@zuglymonster]

Oh I'd love to have heard about Flint being from there

[@mykki.d]

This video was really interesting! Can you please explain why we are in this situation again to begin with? (Same two old men for president again). What would have to happen for one or neither of them to be the official candidates? The majority of America doesn’t want this… can we stop it?

[@Mjwest23]

Anti-gerrymandering is what allowed democracy for state legislature in Michigan to be more representative of reality.

[@Obospeedo]

Yes. The independent redistricting commission that turned Michigan blue should’ve been noted much sooner into the video. Ohio should also have that on the ballot in 2024 (as long as it gets enough signatures) and it should finally stop the GOP gerrymandering problem in the state.

[@rev8739]

@@larry6601 Not only do I second this opinion, but I also note the source from which you are watching this... VOX is notoriously a blue news station. To get a more accurate view of the situation of 'Voting in America,' try looking at both ends of the isle and see what they claim, then look at a third, fourth, etc... opinion, and then maybe you might have enough data to START conjuring what may or may not be the possible climate of the United States voters.

[@Obospeedo]

@@larry6601 removing politicians from the map making process is what the independent redistricting commission does. There are also laws in place on who is permitted to be on the map making comission too!

[@rev8739]

To further this point of the whole biases I claimed VOX has that I made earlier... 7:18 creates claims that Trump is creating racial tension, and then uses the clip at 7:25 where trump says "... Nearly half of Detroit's Residence does not work..." this is too short of a clip to gain enough context to make such a claim as well as Trump's claim was too vague and does not speak about whom he is targeting in that statement... 7:45 then highlights that the county of which Detroit is in, is infact actually "78%" a racially minority... 78% is definitely not half, and I would argue a large majority... This further highlights what I said earlier that VOX, like every other major News outlet, is trying to push their own narrative. Just like politicians, news outlets receive money from "donors"... SO before anyone starts attacking me claiming I am a 'Trumper' or that I am pushing my own narrative. I would disagree with such statement. I have never voted for trump and doubt that I will in the future... I will also go as far to say that my "Naritive" is is want the internet to have less disinformation...

[@CODBlackopsknight]

America is a republic not a democracy

[@jspanos500]

I still cannot believe courts have declared gerrymandering Constitutional. Hats off to my home state for getting the drawing of district maps right.

[@theuglykwan]

what in the constitution means it is unconstitutional? only some of the racial gerrymandering is. an amendment or bill needs to be passed to control it. the real solution is multi member districts with ranked voting so both parties get their fair share.

[@LocalConArtist]

The courts only job is the rule in the constitutionality of things. What is unconstitutional about gerrymandering

[@jspanos500]

Where in the Constitution does it say elected representatives get to choose their voters? The trend and precedent in this country has been for more democracy (Senate is now an elected body, women and non wyts can vote, states like Michigan have voting on Constitutional ammendments, etc.). Gerrymandering is anti democratic.

[@LocalConArtist]

@@jspanos500 every American should know it’s not about what the constitution says you can do because the constitution is written to the government and not the people it says nothing about districts or anything of the matter and as such it is not the Supreme Court job to rule on that problem.

[@RibZe1]

As an Australian where we have independent electoral commission who determine electoral boundaries i find it anti-democratic that gerrymandering can occur.

[@cmorillo2865]

I hope ALL states appoint independent redistricting committees. It will do so much to reduce political corruption.

[@theuglykwan]

it might not. quite a few states have them but they can be timed out or gamed. need multi member districts with ranked voting. at that point any game from line drawing is minimal and helps with geographical polarization.

[@Kc-dq7zj]

If that happens Republicans will never win anything again. So that would be wonderful!

[@boom2055]

I live in Illinois and it has also been incredibly gerrymandered in democrat's favor.

[@fridaylambda3494]

Problem is whether or not the Independent Committee is truly independent or just 'independent.' We've seen in the last redistricting cycle that an independent source can produce either fair maps (NY congressional districts) or heavily skewed maps (Virginia legislature). And if you want a clear example, 49 State Representatives in Virginia are in lean-solid blue districts. They essentially can't be voted out except during a primary. Similarly, 20 Blue State Senators are almost always going to win reelection which basically perpetuates entrenchment. This also happens at the national level with solid seats since you have to draw them somewhere and that continues the same issue. You can't avoid corruption no matter how hard you try especially when Independent committees can be influenced or distorted depending on what factors they deem as most important.

[@starsINSPACE]

We voted for that in Ohio and the GOP state government just won't let us have what we voted for.

[@eric_the_egggremlin]

watching this as a Michigander is truly just whipping back and forth between fierce glee that my state is actually important and soul-eating dread that we are actually important.

[@Dameworth]

Makes you want to get out to the polls and vote blue :)

[@Numina_]

@@Dameworth I’m in Michigan. I voted Bernie. I do not like trump. I cannot vote for genocide Joe. I live next door to a huge Muslim community. I will not vote blue no matter who. That’s cult thinking. Israel runs our country. Not dem or rep.

[@SunTzu-Fing]

@@Dameworth vote blue no matter whOOO am i right hahaha

[@clash8386]

Vote red before we get another misgendering law, we need a real governor that cares about the real problems

[@andrewgagne5063]

Thank God, I thought I was the only one with those feelings.

[@jackcarey6441]

I really hope that anti-gerrymandering bill starts a trend. Our election integrity is vital in making sure the people in office feel held accountable by the vote. When that’s not the case you get tyrants.

[@schlechtgut8349]

no way republicans will allow it

[@itriedtochangemynamebutitd5019]

​@schlechtgut8349 Republicans seem to be advocating for more anti-gerrymandering policies than Democrats do. Vivek Ramaswamy had been mentioning related topics on his Twitter.

[@BBGOnYT]

@@schlechtgut8349 No way any side would allow it.

[@prosthoplus]

I'm from Michigan, and it wasn't until just the other day that I found out that not all states allow citizen-led ballot iniatives @@BBGOnYT

[@Cabbagery]

@@BBGOnYT Did you watch the video? The democrats got power back, took control of the governor's office, Senate, and House in Michigan, and promptly started a bi-partisan commission to take the ability to gerrymander away from BOTH PARTIES. You should probably revise your statement. Democrats DO advocate for fair elections and they put their money where their mouth is.

[@brasiliania]

Gerrymandering it’s an absurd thing and just ridiculous for a “free” country to have.

[@jasongrundy1717]

But it's okay when Democrats do it. And when it's done, the vast majority of the time it's the Democrats doing it.

[@haveboard]

“Free” w emphasis on those quotes.

[@Magst3r1]

​@@haveboardAt least the idea is there.

[@Mark-rl5xl]

It’s REALLY bad in Wisconsin.

[@maroonedexplorer6622]

State legislators are "free" to choose their districts.

[@themasterblaze7563]

As a Michigan Resident I can say with confidence that the center of the Mitten is very conservative and the cities are very liberal. A lot of Michigan is rural, but our cities are densely packed relativity. You'll find passionate voters of both sides anywhere and everywhere.

[@-Zevin-]

Exactly this, most of the state is rural and unpopulated, and the majority of the population is in the bottom 1/3 of the state, in places like Holland, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor it can be more left than most of California, everyone here lives in our own little bubbles. If you are born and raised in Ann Arbor for instance it's easy to think the entire state is like that, but drive just a hour or so away and suddenly your in rural Kentucky. Born and raised in Michigan too, writing this from rural west Michigan.

[@Astrosk1er]

Born and raised Macomb, both of you are completely right, cities very liberal, suburbs a mix, but drive another 10 minutes and it’s just forest and farm fields

[@warrenreid6109]

This is the story all over the US.

[@Poenas]

This is every state, spread out red and condensed blue

[@pangyang9989]

@@Poenas Can confirm even California is like this. The condensed coastal counties are all blue, the spread out rural counties are red. There's more red counties in CA than blue ones, but majority of the population lives condensed along the coastline where most of the poverty is.

[@lynnstevens9666]

Impressive. As a former Chicagoan who lived in Michigan for 40 years, I'm delighted you got Michigan right. It's so often portrayed as Detroit plus fly-over by big-city based news entities, they believe their own simplifications and invariably get it wrong. You nailed it,

[@_PatrickO]

He left off that people really hate the clintons. It is the only reason trump won. With any other democratic candidate people wouldn't have rolled the dice on trump. In 2016, cnn had been interviewing michigan dems from around the state who were going to vote for trump. They all hated the clintons.

[@NONPOINT420]

Yeah right. Sorry to tell you but that nightmare state is still a fly-over-state. Maybe in another 60 years they'll finally fix that crumbled state.

[@Ir0nFrog]

@@NONPOINT420 nice anime pfp.

[@NONPOINT420]

@@Ir0nFrog it would be if it was an anime pic but it's a Deviant art pic someone made around headphones. You might want to squint harder.

[@jakuboronowicz8421]

@@NONPOINT420it’s an anime pfp

[@dolomitearterius5036]

Blind Spot: Michigander here with many family members in the automotive industry. Bill Clinton's support of NAFTA in the 1990s marred Hilary's campaign here. That piece of policy is often a commonly cited reason for the hollowing out of our manufacturing base. Remember Michigan voted for Bernie Sanders over Clinton in the primaries, arguably for this reason as well.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

More democratic voters supported sanders than clinton in the first place. She only became the leading candidate in 2016 through blatant and visible open corruption by the party.

[@rtyria]

Like I mentioned elsewhere here, if the Democrats had nominated _anyone_ other than Hillary they would have won in 2016. There were folks voting for Trump solely because they hated her so much.

[@MalcolmCir]

Yes. This was a major talking point in 2016 with my family in Ohio as well. We all know it was more than Bill Clinton (as much as we know it'll take more than Trump to fix it)--- but Clinton's signing of NAFTA sure colored voters' impression of his wife in the Rust Belt.

[@joestocking]

Ross Perot was right about nafta.

[@sub-zero710]

It didn't last long though. The auto workers went right back to the democrats because Trump never lived up to his promise on bringing manufacturing back to the states.

[@steelerfaninperu]

Super true, I grew up in MI and it really is a microcosm of the whole country. You can drive through affluent conservative suburbs like Rochester, pass through a progressive wealthy suburb like Ferndale, visit the little Middle East of Dearborn, swing by Democratic Detroit, and be out in farmland in under 2 hours.

[@fredwerza3478]

That is a good example of why Democrats will always rule Michigan as God intended

[@lizarddog6959]

Even in the Northern Areas, Traverse City, and Petoskey, I'd say they are more progressive cities. But you can't get to them without driving through some white collar conservative sun down towns.

[@harrisonmorse3091]

This is my drive to work

[@steelerfaninperu]

I used to basically run a very similar route. I've traveled a lot and rarely see the same level of variety passing through cities and their metro areas. @@harrisonmorse3091

[@brittnay279]

@@lizarddog6959​​⁠​⁠blue collar* i think is what you meant… and you just sent me into an existential crisis realizing that I do in fact live in a sun down town (okay, maybe that’s strong phrasing, we do have two black families that are loved in the community) but I have literally had to tell my black friends that if they are driving through town at night they’re getting pulled over simply for being black. Idt they’re in any physical danger, but cops will definitely try to harass them.

[@thekingcraig1]

I also want to note that the Flint water Crisis happened under Republican Leadership, and that played a role, at least in many of the state level campaigns.

[@MCWaffles2003-1]

that was a gigantic factor in 2018

[@DoWorkNP]

I thought that decisions was made by Flint city council to run Flints old water system again instead of using detriots. Wasn't it approved by Obamas EPA? Their city council was democratic was it not?

[@theuglykwan]

former gop governor directed the govt to sue them but the new democrat AG undid some charges and let them off.

[@thekingcraig1]

@@theuglykwan Snyder was trying to avoid personal liability to get the AG to sue the government instead of them personally. That said, you are correct Dana nessel did interfere with things in ways she shouldn't have. Either way, point is the crisis happened with the GOP in power, and 2022 was us michiganders sending them a message that they messed up.

[@spelcheak]

But it only happened because Democrats over built infrastructure and couldn’t tax enough to maintain it

[@kevinsweitzer4454]

Great video- as a Michigan native I think you missed one key thing which is out-migration. Since 2016 and especially since COVID, Michiganders have been moving to other states at a rapid rapid rate. MI Gov even put together a commission to study population loss. Many aging boomers (who lean red) have fled for Florida/Texas - corresponding to their explosion in GOP support. Those votes leaving Michigan have certainly tilted our demographics.

[@RibZe1]

Texas? They've been voting less red at each election. Florida, well you're on to something there.

[@kevinsweitzer4454]

@@RibZe1 you’re not wrong - but I would suspect that the R leaning northerners moving to TX are outweighed by D leaning Californians and naturalized immigrants from outside of TX. Anecdotally, TX is def a destination for MI people looking to leave

[@splitzgymnastics2009]

Exactly. I'm a young boomer, retired and immediately moved out of Michigan.

[@Bmike5117]

@@RibZe1 there was a poll showing that Native Texans now lean blue and the immigration from rust belt states is what is keeping the state voting red. its from a couple years ago but I'm sure that its even more true after covid

[@jypsridic]

@@Bmike5117 lemme guess they were asking people in Austin and/or on university campuses exclusively?

[@TSSmith]

As a Michigander, I can confirm I am looking at myself when I look at Michigan

[@snoopybagels3560]

Same here :)

[@josephdalecy7285]

You missed how much the Flint water crisis and the Edenville Dam failure pushed the conversation in michigan away from Republicans.

[@HashimVal.]

was abt to mention this

[@fredwerza3478]

Very good point --- Republicans were correctly seen as the villains in these scandals

[@ShaneTheBane]

The flint michigan issue happened years before these elections. I dont believe it influenced it all that much. 2014, water crisis starts. Peaks in popularity of people learning/talking about it in 2015. 2016, still all republicans voted for. 2018, all republicans voted for again, except Governor. 2020, same story but went democrat for president.

[@cheeseninja1115]

@@ShaneTheBane As a Michigander I can tell you that the Flint Water Crisis never left the collective psych of the state. It peaked before 2016, but the influence it had is still being felt today. Especially with mistrust of republicans after they tried to cover it up.

[@fredwerza3478]

@@ShaneTheBane Michigan Republicans were correctly blamed for poisoning black folks in Flint --- that caused massive harm to their election chances in 2020 and 2022 and now 2024

[@Knoxsinn]

It's interesting to view the poltiical history of Michigan and be able to relate it to trends of the entire nation! Great video from Livingston County

[@YourTripleScorpio]

Syphilitic Stinker?

[@marsretrograde]

As a native Michigander, I’ve always felt like Michigan was a very “average” place, as in most everyone would find some comfort here or fit in with the vibe. It’s good to get confirmation of this in a different way!

[@boiledpepsi]

thats exactly why i enjoy living here. dont plan on leaving any time soon. probably just moving across state.

[@darrinthurston3308]

​@boiledpepsi i feel like Minnesota is very similar.

[@justanotherwhitegirla7093]

I think we are very accepting of people from different ethnic backgrounds. In my workplace we have blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, and Muslims all together 10hrs a day. I consider myself as a fairly progressive person but I get along with the Trump supporters that I work with. We're all like "that's your opinion" then move on. It's not worth getting into a physical fight. Being average isn't a bad thing.

[@darrinthurston3308]

@justanotherwhitegirla7093 agreed, I live in Southern Minnesota and that are many differences in politics between where I live and Minneapolis St Paul. Same could be said for Michigan and the Detroit metro.

[@ThuNguyen-jy2jt]

End gerrymandering by making an independent map-drawing committee and make MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS instead of the single member districts we see today. And get rid of the horrendous first-past-the-post system; opt for a proportional representation or ranked choice voting, which is already in place in Alaska. FIX AND SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY.

[@montybrown5410]

This.

[@EricGranata]

Yep

[@aerotheepic]

This. Yep.

[@Roftastic]

I keep hearing people 'say' they want a STV system but I never hear 1. How it's supposed to be implimented & 2. How we fix issues that the Electoral College & the 2 Party system were designed to resolve. I'm not against our votes having more power, but all I hear from anyone preaching Ranked Choice like the gospel is a bunch of hot air from people who don't really know what they want.

[@jasongrundy1717]

There is no such thing as independent in the US right now.

[@dinominh10]

As someone who lives outside the US but is very intrested in it's politics, thank you vox for creating this learning opportunity!

[@colekarrh9114]

My best advice is don't touch it just look

[@hujjatghaffari551]

What did you learn?

[@akumabito2008]

​@@colekarrh9114 it's all extremely fascinating. From a safe distance, of course.

[@CyborgZeta]

I can't imagine why anyone would find US politics to be interesting. The two-party system and political (arguably cultural, too) polarization has done immense harm to this country.

[@mofik26]

@@CyborgZeta Thats exactly what makes it interesting, also if the US has some kind of crisis then everyone has a crisis due to the power dollar holds.

[@paulstewart1557]

As an Australian, I found this analysis fascinating - congratulations

[@trauma50disaster1]

remember this is a liberal party agenda piece, not an independent documentary.

[@alokotta5466]

Didn't Joh-Bjelke Petersen have his hold on QLD as a result of Gerrymadering?

[@RibZe1]

@@alokotta5466 yes

[@yappofloyd1905]

This was yet another great production with excellent analysis! Keep it up. Looking forward to more!

[@superpops97]

As a Michigan resident, this is well done but you also forgot the major things that Republicans did in the last 10 years. They covered up the Flint water crisis which believe it or not was big enough for a lot of voters to not want to vote for the Republican Party again.

[@fredwerza3478]

Very good point --- Republicans were correctly seen as the villains in these scandals and the people of Michigan had enough of right wing corruption

[@ShaneTheBane]

Eh, idk how much of an impact that really had. That started in 2014 and peaked in spotlight in 2015. After that, Trump, a Republic, was still elected as president and all the other offices listed in this video had republicans voted for as well in 2016. In 2018, all republicans again except for governor. I dont think it was brought up because it probably didnt influence this to a significant degree since it does happen before all of these election events.

[@seannewell397]

You could say that left a bad taste in voters' mouths, but that joke has run dry.

[@jcnash02]

Flint’s water commission and city council were 100% Democrat and the president at the time was a democrat….Republicans had nothing to do with the Flint water crisis.

[@badwolf9956]

@@ShaneTheBaneIt’s also important to not that Trump was distinct from other establishment republicans like Rick Snyder. He won the state by like 10,000 votes and it was entirely because democrats didn’t get out to vote.

[@thejungwookim]

As an Oakland Country resident (and US citizen since 2019), I assumed that the activist marches were commonplace. This videos does a great job of representing one of several major reasons why Michigan swung so hard in both directions.

[@FalafelUnited]

Which city do you live in?

[@Fooney1]

There were no marches in Oakland County or even Detroit. You can't break the law here like a lot of other states so the "marches" for some reason just stay away.

[@lilyj0000]

Hi neighbor!❤

[@grmpEqweer]

There's quite a few of us marchy people, we're just not that concentrated in any given area.

[@ExtraordinaryDork]

The traffic between the protests and the road work was horrific this past summer 😭

[@isaac24]

I've lived in MI my whole life, grew up in Ingham county and now in Clinton county. This is truly an extremely diverse and interesting state, in so many ways, including beyond politics.

[@joyciejd9673]

So glad I found this channel. Very interesting!

[@biglegcatluvr]

I remember first learning about gerrymandering a while ago and as a non US citizen, it completely shocks me that government officials that are partisan are allowed to do that. It almost really just defeats the purpose of voting and puts the outcome of voting results more in the statisticians and number crunchers for each party, trying to figure out the best way to skew results so that they have the highest outcome of winning that does not necessarily represent the proportional outcomes voted for by the voters.

[@MeepChangeling]

Between that, the Electoral College being allowed to vote any way they please, and the fact that its the PARTIES who decide what gets to be voted on and not the people, I genuinely do not vote. There's no point. Nothing I want to vote on will ever make it to the ballot, and the parties decide who gets what office in advance while not representing me at all because I align with neither of the two groups. So why should I vote? "Blah blah blah civic duty!" Yeah, no... Not how it works dude. No one votes matter here.

[@scottyee707]

voting is basically pointless when your don't require ID and allow non US Citizens to vote like California and New York are...

[@Idontwantone950]

@MeepChangeling Faithless electors have never swung an election and some states have laws against it where their vote wouldn’t count and/or they could face punishment. The parties do push their agendas, but so can groups of citizens and individuals. It’s called lobbying. If nothing you want to vote on will ever make it on the ballot than at some point you might want to consider that the problem is you and not everyone else. Sounds like what you want voted on is about you and not the population at large. I’m personally glad you don’t vote. We could use less of the me, me, me, uneducated voters.

[@SigmundJaehn]

@@MeepChangelingI don’t think you understand how the electoral college works. It’s not that they can vote how they want, but that votes are allocated in a first past the post manner in most states and so the closish results in the actual vote counts are averaged out and distorted.

[@Rob2068]

Yes as was mentioned our entire way of electing a president is ridiculous too. Ironically our Electoral College was meant to keep somebody like trump from being president. It ended up doing the opposite.

[@BalkanBallMapping69]

As someone who not in the US, and as the 24 election comes closer, I want to see more videos by Vox like this!

[@onomatopoeia162003]

I wouldn't mind other videos like this, but a different state. :)

[@jasongrundy1717]

They just called convincing people who 98% vote Democrat to not vote for Hillary as "stoking racial division." You not only don't want to see more videos like this, you shouldn't.

[@jojoironboi]

@@jasongrundy1717 I think you missed the point completely. When they say half of detroit doesnt work and half of detroit is black they are pretty obviously saying black people dont work. That like the definition of stoking racial divisions and the fact that out of the whole video THIS is what you found a problem with shows a lot about your intelligence and ethics

[@treybutler3766]

Why do you care about America politics lol

[@bloodwargaming3662]

​@@jasongrundy1717 that's what he did ? You saw the video?

[@wildfire9280]

People *REALLY* don’t pay attention to state elections nearly as much as they should for how vital they are, even on the federal level due to redistricting and the EC.

[@ExtraordinaryDork]

Absolutely phenomenal video. As a young Michigander who went to school in Macomb and Oakland county during this time, we experienced so much change in our local politics as new voters. It was life changing after watching our parents, blue or white collar, all get affected when the recession killed Detroit. Everybody was (and still are in some areas) on strike in these three counties, including the teachers for years. So in turn, Michigan’s youth turnout in the 2022 election was best in the nation. I really do think that we can make changes for the better here 💙💛

[@talyahr3302]

No mention of how Hillary didn't even bother to campaign in the entire state of Michigan in 2016? Cockiness absolutely played a role in Hillarys loss. She didn't even try there.

[@brownwolf6280]

Don't forget Hillary poor choice of a running mate Tim Kaine. Corey Booker would have energized black folks to the polls ....

[@StayFreshMyFriends]

tbf when she showed up, her numbers got worse lol

[@denniss5505]

I was with Hilary Clinton the day before the election at Grand Valley State University, in West Michigan. It was an overwhelming joyous turnout that left me convinced she would win the state and election. The crowd was loud and proud for HRC, it was incredible. Unfortunately, that night at 11pm, the Donald came to some Grand Rapids arena for a late night hate rally that knocked that confidence out. Both parties knew michigan was important. I agree she should have campaigned harder in the mitten though

[@theuglykwan]

She did. Not as much as she should. Her campaign held back funds for a last minute blitz in detroit as they feared they'd win the electoral college but lose the popular vote. Ironic, I know.

[@Sleepingbear2222]

She did campaign in Michigan

[@darkreign24]

Something that is overlooked in Michigan is our Ballot Initiative. Only a handful of States even have it, and the ones that do can have those initiatives overturned by the State Legislature (Ohio). Basically, ANY citizen can write up a Proposal to appear in the next election, you then go around the State and get X-number of signatures from other citizens that support your idea. And voila, your Proposal appears on the ballot. If it passes, it immediately gets added to the State Constitution and as we Americans know, good luck repealing ANYTHING in a Constitution. There used to be a way for the State Legislature to mess with the process by pre-emptively passing legislation that addressed any Proposal they didnt like. We then passed ANOTHER Prop that disallowed that practice. Michigan is a unique place to live politically because of this wonderful Ballot Initiative process. Its quite literally citizens in action, bypassing the politicians completely, immediately enshrining those items in the State Constitution. They become almost literally untouchable.

[@j03man44]

The United States would be in a better place if there was a way for the citizens to directly initiate a constitutional amendment. Though I'd want a 2/3 majority of the population and 2/3 of the states to majority vote for it. A Simple majority is a little slim for a constitutional amendment to a country as large and diverse as the United States.

[@sgtNACHO]

​@j03man44 there is. I believe it is 2/3 of the states can come together under Article 5 to appeal the Consitution

[@graces1stpsata]

@@sgtNACHOthat’s the states, not the people living in the states.

[@j03man44]

@@sgtNACHO it has to be initiated by the state Congresses. I'm talking about a popular ballot measure that bypasses state houses and the federal Congress.

[@JeremyZao]

Oh wow! So THAT's why I always ran into all these people asking for signatures when I lived in Ann Arbor

[@victor17m]

I love this videos of detail of politics of each state

[@jeffm9770]

Really great informative video. I'd love to see one of these on PA as well.

[@chillmemes5865]

And Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas, and pretty much every other toss up state 😂

[@SnappyWasHere]

It’s such a shame that Michigan proves proper districts produce results that reflect the people but you will never convince Republicans to give up their power willingly and let the people choose their leaders.

[@previnwitana3576]

it might in the long run, the GOP lost so many state trifectas in the past few election cycles we're getting closer to point being anti-gerrymandering would have more upsides for the GOP than without

[@X2LR8]

Democrats gerrymander all over the country so not really.

[@killmebut509]

So I just lose the state I love? I'm supposed to do nothing? The two sides will always play their game. a new solution is needed.

[@redwater1995]

Its less of a democract or republican thing both sides gerrymander after all. It is something that needs to stop its been going on for centuries.

[@lowboyyy]

I agree, let the people choose their leader

[@City_Hunter]

Great video! In a way felt proud to be a Michigander just by watching this

[@warrenreid6109]

This is a great video. I hope that you would consider doing one on each state.

[@seventeenfeet]

As a lifelong Michigander, I am so happy to witness the end of gerrymandering, and the wishes of the majority finally being fulfilled ❤ next up, the national electoral college!

[@user-tx4lf3px5l]

I' m afraid that requires a constitutional amendment which seems unlikely

[@everettschoenke2659]

I am not convinced that’s a good idea. Full democracy is mob rule.

[@Cabbagery]

It took the Democrats getting elected to all branches to make it happen. The only party willing to do what's best for all the people, not just the people that voted for them.

[@kennethvanoosten3202]

​@@user-tx4lf3px5lThe only alternative would be if the majority of states agreed to give their electoral college votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote through the National popular voter interstate compact. Wouldn't be a permanent solution if some states decided to back out afterwards, but if it got more than 270 electoral college votes it would effectively guarantee that the winner of the popular vote would always win the presidency once it takes effect.

[@GreenCat9013]

@@kennethvanoosten3202yeah i heard about that pact

[@user-un7kb7br6m]

Please make one for Ohio.... It used to be a swing state, and now it's headed more and more republican...

[@Justinchhay]

As someone who lives in Ohio, I’m curious to see what’s changed.

[@moclock7241]

​@@Justinchhaylook at college graduation rates

[@johndebono1870]

Imagine Macomb county as a state and you got Ohio.

[@NorthernChev]

Speaking with a friend the other day, who lives in Ohio, he said he finds it very strange how the state keeps coming up Red as he very seldom runs into “conservatives”. He thinks it has to be recent gerrymandering, because Republicans don’t seem to be the majority out in the wild when you get out there.

[@Proteus_Ridley]

Florida is heading to a red state While Texas is a weird one, not blue but leaning to be less extreme red as I thought Texas was the Republican California

[@SchwarbageTruck]

As a Michigander I always joke around about the fact that our governor that we elected was someone with one of the most cartoony Michigan accents you could imagine. Understandably, she is almost guaranteed to be VERY much exaggerating it for political reasons based off of multiple people I know who have met her in person... but it's still funny to think that a state chose a walking stereotype to run itself.

[@iankeeter2032]

Might be a midwest thing because Tony Evers reminds me of every old white Wisconsin man I've ever met lol

[@stemjesper]

One of your best videos ever. Thanks!

[@whideoreviews573]

As a former resident, I would add that Grand Rapids, Michigan, experienced a similar trend to Oakland County. That's another "traditionally Republican, well-off" county that has trended leftward over the last eight years. Not as left as Oakland County, but Grand Rapids/Kent County is arguably swing territory now (after being reliably Republican for so long).

[@marsretrograde]

Yes I noticed this as well!! Within the last few years, it’s been much less obviously red in the area!

[@ericscottstevens]

Grand Rapids is a micro chasm as it is mostly ancestral Dutch heritage. A conservative mindset the permeated into business routines and planning in that area . Living in the area for almost 6 years the regional quip was "If you ain't Dutch you ain't much" meaning it was an enclave with it's own mindset It was not uncommon for the locals who were not Grand Rapids natives to say the town's businesses rolled up the sidewalks at 4PM.

[@darth_chipmunk]

current Grand Rapids resident here, I have no honest idea why it's trending leftward so much, everyone I talk to says their voting for Trump this next election

[@ThuNguyen-jy2jt]

This would not and should not even be a problem if we ABOLISH the Electoral College and treat everyone equally, NOT as strategic voting blocs in a few closely divided states.

[@blazer9547]

You probably want states to lose their equal representation too. Ain't gonna happen.

[@astronotics531]

Electoral college protects the State against federal government

[@guygadbois7618]

Cry

[@stackhat8624]

Exactly. It is ridiculous you have the Senate with 2 senators from every state and the electoral college on top of that.

[@traybaldwin]

⁠@@guygadbois7618 I love how you saying “cry” shows how you know and acknowledge that the republican party would never win another election if the U.S simply did a popular vote 💀

[@zacharyzabicki4690]

Loved seeing a video about my home state. It doesn't get very much attention lol. Great Video!

[@owainmorgan3897]

Well, as someone who's not an American and knows very little about the politics of Michigan, that was educational. I shall be watching this channel more. I have a question, is Michigan more of a bell weather state than Ohio?

[@wildfire9280]

Since at least 2020, absolutely. I’d argue since 2018 or even 2016 though.

[@owainmorgan3897]

@@wildfire9280 Thank you for your response and answer. I was not aware of how marginal Michigan had become. I will be looking out for that result in the Presidential Election. 🙂

[@alinoer.6569]

I'm impressed with the amount of information you are able to present in such a digestible manner, I paused for some of the diagrams whenever i wanted extra info not directly relevant to the video topic and loved the production. Thank you!

[@theflev-matic4892]

I'm a proud Michigander so this video means a lot to me

[@abdihashi6225]

Hello

[@reecejahn4309]

I love the way this video is laid out and how clearly the information is explained.

[@masonr1666]

Living in Michigan, a lot of people have grown angry at Republican Leadership, or simply the status quo. Michigan roads are considered to be the worst in the nation, because they haven't been properly funded. You also have the Flint water crisis; where due to mismanagement you had millions consuming lead tainted water. Because this happened under Republican leadership, I would expect Flint residents to never vote for a Republican for the rest of their lives.

[@Tlrcorbin]

As somebody who grew up in Michigan that moved in 2016 to Washington, and now in Utah it has been very interesting to watch what has happened there while also exploring each end of the political spectrum geographically

[@tavarisp452]

This video was extremely informative. Thank you Vox and everyone involved

[@aquatic4699]

Michigander from Oakland county here! Its awesome seeing my state being talked about!!

[@codyshi4743]

I never know that my home state would receive this much attention in an election. Most of the time I thought Texas, Florida, and California are the state that gets most of the political attention.

[@Diamondking599]

No, everybody knows that Texas and Florida goes red and California goes blue. They get very little attention

[@AirKIng74]

I'm Ontarian, so while I have never voted in a US election, I always watch them closely. I've recently moved to Windsor, and I must say I've developed a really deep appreciation for Michigan and its people. This video honestly helped me understand some of the things I've noticed talking to friends across the border, and weirdly just makes me appreciate the state that much more. I wish all of the United States well in what I am sure will be an "interesting" election year.

[@curtandoscar]

You are incredibly fortunate to live in sane, beautiful Canada, with universal healthcare and no mass shooting slaughters every 2 weeks.

[@sw1743]

@@curtandoscar Canada isn't all peaches n cream, if you're on the wait list for a therapist or family doctor or anything else you'll be waiting 9 months at the very least.

[@JackOiswatching]

@@sw1743 Yeah, that's also true in the US. The neuropsych referral I got this past November is scheduled for the first week of July. So I'm waiting 9 months and I have to pay out of pocket? I'd love to take my chances in Canada.

[@luvLins]

We love you too Ontario!

[@curtandoscar]

@@sw1743 This is entirely false. I have family in two provinces, and my best friend of 30 yrs lives in suburban Toronto. None of them or their extended family or friends, in either Ontario or Quebec wait even 9 days to see a doctor.

[@alexfido2935]

This is a legitimately excellent video. Smashed it with the analysis, answering pretty much every question that was brought up.

[@pulse3554]

This video is the issue with American politics - over indexing on racial sub groups. You reinforce these temporary phenomena even as they constantly switch, AS SHOWN in the video

[@alexfido2935]

@@pulse3554 I agree that overanalysing the minutia of how ethnic subgroups vote is ridiculous, but that was a small part of the analysis. The point made about Gerrymandering, and about how clearly what Trump said had an effect on the Working Class communities of Macomb hit home very well.

[@pulse3554]

@@alexfido2935 it was no small part at all, I would watch the video again and measure the volume of rhetoric that was focused on racial subgroups predicting Michigan in different eras. I could find other indicators that were as or more predictive, but my experience with Americans is that as every culture in the world, they’re bogged down in their bubble and what they perceive as normal - so they turn to race. I’m a young global citizen tapped into various cultures in the west - race is a predictive factor but not the origin anymore lol, and it hasn’t been for a while. They’re missing out on underlying phenomena, but western and anglo thinking tends to be very surface level anyways, it’s a young civilization Agree that gerrymandering is the most consequential artifact here

[@dr.davidenglish778]

A well done video. Can you please do a video on Oregon?

[@samuelabdul7336]

Seeing someone you’ve known personally being a guest speaker on Vox is pretty funny. Shoutout Mr. Dulio

[@wingsoverfries]

What an amazing piece. I will start watching this channel again just because of this video. yall deserve praise

[@cheriepearson1070]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@VeryOldMerc]

If I could describe Vox with one word, it would be SPIN.

[@FranklyAlex7]

Looking at the Presidential Election Margins by state, I would love to see this kind of break down for North Carolina and Georgia.

[@AndrewPonti]

RIGHT! We have seen that these 2 states would NOT go to MAGAts as frequently as most thing if voter suppression didn't happen and voter turnout was high. Most people just hope that the system will fix itself so "why vote"? When Repugnat-cans started taking away rights we have had for many many years, that's when people woke up. I firmly believe in our "Liberal Democracy", most people are center-left in one form or another.

[@SeeNickView]

Georgia would be very interesting

[@louisrobbins475]

@@AndrewPonti Voter suppression is code for I can't vote multiple times.

[@galucon1033]

@@louisrobbins475 The Dems have perfected election fraud to a science. Because they've been doing it for so long now. It is taught in Obama's favorite book (Rules for radicals) so the radical branch of their party always stuff the ballot boxes with fraudulent votes. They are metaphorically bringing a gun to a knife fight (cheating)every time. We need to return to the paper Ballot/ one day elections and the only way to Get back to that is to level the playing field and do exactly what they do until they agree to it.

[@seangt]

I need to say that I'm thankful I'm reading a story about michigan that doesn't completely ignore the most important part - the redistricting ballot proposal. HOWEVER, I need at least one line giving props to the tireless work of all the volunteers that made that possible. A genius idea and a great organizing effort really turned our state around and I'm so grateful to all the - mostly women - who stood outside every event across the state for an entire year collecting signatures and promoting this idea. Voters Not Politicians is the organization.

[@brycewilson1909]

interesting stuff, thanks for the upload! (Michigan is a beautiful state, if you like the outdoors you'll love Michigan)

[@slyde734]

I grew up in Macomb County, MI. I'm glad I left. I brought my wife back home to visit my family and her initial observation was, "this is where suburbia threw up." I think that sums up Macomb County.

[@richardhouston736]

I live in Michigan specifically macomb county and the 2022 state election was the first time I’ve seen a lot of people vote and the first time I ever got to vote, mostly the whole reason people were going out in droves was simply because of that prop 3, that was the whole reason I went out and now I’m much more inclined to participate in my elections 😊

[@shirairyu9806]

Not deterred by the paperboard put over the windows?

[@elli6220]

@@shirairyu9806 ???

[@silentotto5099]

@@elli6220 I think it's referencing a conspiracy lie about voter fraud in Detroit.

[@darkreign24]

@@elli6220 He's saying you live in ****-hole thats abandoned.

[@Cabbagery]

@@elli6220 He's an election denier :)

[@togomy6975]

Representation in government is meant to show what majority of the people want. Gerrymandering and electoral college defeats the people’s representation

[@jasongrundy1717]

College IS representation. You have no idea what you're even saying.

[@rocksolid369]

​@@jasongrundy1717 In what world? How is someone in Wyoming having three times as much voting power as someone in Ohio in any way fair representation? It's an outdated system that needs to go.

[@stevena105]

​@@jasongrundy1717The electoral college is how we've ended up with presidents **who didn't win the majority.** By your own statement, if the electoral college is representation, that should never happen.

[@surfjax23]

@@rocksolid369it prevents groupthink. Otherwise states like Wyoming have no power whatsoever and no real representation and all of the representation comes from people in cities who’ve grown up with the same ideologies, biases, etc and make laws that impact the entire country without understanding the impacts on others outside of their limited social circle. I’m not saying that the college is “right or just” but if you’re asking why it’s around, that’s why.

[@rocksolid369]

@@surfjax23 I think the people living in more rural areas are the ones with "limited social circles". I understand why the founding fathers created the electoral college, but back then the largest state barely had a population of a million. It's outdated and at the very least needs an overhaul

[@tiagosstudio]

I love listening to how deliberate the music scoring is for this video

[@user-yg4qg9rl4i]

As a Michigan native, I can personally attest that the Trump era and anti-abortion radicalism + a simultaneous women empowerment movement that started with the MeToo movement and the Larry Nasar stuff has really changed a lot of voters (namely women) blue. My mom and her family used to be hard republicans but my mom is not a supporter anymore and she’s actually quite appalled with the red party and the power they’ve tried to revoke from women

[@tbmprodutionsjason5585]

also most people i know dont even care to vote anyway unless their parents are super slanted one way or the other

[@toddbannon3380]

I'm glad you talked about gerrymandering and our Citizens Restricting Commission. It has made all the difference in Michigan. EVERY state should do the same .

[@TheSupremeTsar]

I really like these deep dives you’ve done on Florida and Michigan politics. I think it’d be really cool to see an equivalent video done on political shifts that have occurred in Georgia. Georgia has been a red state for most of the 21st century but has voted blue in the past 2 federal elections.

[@oscarrangel5774]

As a resident of georgia I can state, what has changed it so much over the years is the amount of people moving to the Atlanta metro. It’s just astonishing how much construction has gone underway.!

[@Ultizer]

GA's low taxes has attracted a lot of wealthy liberal people, especially the movie industry.

[@darealistwan3997]

As an Oakland County Resident for all of my Adult years (I’m only in my late 20s), it’s one thing to see all these things unfold and the tension they brought during my voting years, but to see just how much it reflects the country as a whole is both scary and fascinating!

[@woodencheck6181]

I would honestly love if VOX did this kinda video for every state. As an Ohioan i think it would be very informative

[@donovanphillips419]

Fellow Ohioan here and I agree. Curious to see how Ohio because the primary example of a swing state to whatever it is now.

[@GreenCat9013]

Yeah

[@GreenCat9013]

@@donovanphillips419yeah Ohio is red but people are not typically very conservative i believe, tend to be pro union and stuff

[@Singlemethod4217]

They only do videos against republicans, not informative videos.

[@or2wheels]

You lost your privileges when City Chili became a thing. (Kidding, mostly)

[@mambamolt_tt73]

Despite Detroit improving and progressing a lot in the last few years. Michigan is still a prime example, Of how politics can divide and make separatist in it’s own neighborhood’s.

[@TheStarSquid]

Easy to do when politicians give up on half the population, making them drink lead water and outsource our jobs overseas

[@thepatriarchy819]

Okay most of Detroit is still a no go zone.

[@AdamYusuf-3]

​@@thepatriarchy819 Sure but that's subjective. Detroit nowadays is safer than San Francisco.

[@alexrogers777]

​@@thepatriarchy819 funny how ""no go zone"" is the exact same phrase I only hear from my racist boomer relatives

[@vandreadparty]

@@AdamYusuf-3This is not even close to true. SF is by far safer, even though Detroit has done a lot to fix up the city.

[@bobhawke7373]

I remember this from hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. When asked what was the answer to life, the universe and everything. The supercomputer, Deep Thought, calmly answered "Michigan"

[@jasonramirez2459]

As soon as I saw “Maps”, I couldn’t help but think of Johnny

[@AdamYusuf-3]

Thanks Vox excellent video. As Michigander I must say politics gets complex here. The problem isn't the people it's the flase promises that are given. Detroit showcased how folks can vote for the same thing, Yet literally live in 2 completely different realities. Edit - Also ironically the person who's done the most for the Moto City. 'Dan Gilbert' isn't even a politician.

[@reevekatt4574]

As a Michigander I am proud of the non-partisan anti-gerrymandering laws put into place. This results in things like Prop 3, and free school lunch for all children! It gives me confidence and hope that the state is finally heading in the right direction and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a state with a brighter future!

[@PhantomSailor513]

Professor Jesule! Great teacher at MSU, loved him as a student

[@andrewluehm7880]

Another Michgander here! Michigan has always been a microcosm of America. The Urban vs Suburban vs Rural percentages and racial make up of the state are very close to the US as a whole. Companies run focus groups for new products here since they get representative sample data from the results. This video was another example Michigan being mini-America. It confirmed a bunch of stuff that I thought I knew. Well done!

[@peterk9971]

Me, from germany only like: Whats wrong with your election that the party that the majority voted for is not the party that's been elected?

[@davidperin9938]

Thank the electoral college and gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is manipulating electoral maps to artificially boost your chances of winning.

[@sharinaross1865]

Why are you so invested in American politics

[@magerquark6833]

im from germany as well.​@@sharinaross1865

[@alexrogers777]

​@@sharinaross1865why are you so worried that others are noticing how broken your system is?

[@sharinaross1865]

@@alexrogers777 far from worried about a political system that I vote in. I know how important travel (tourism) and immigration is. Its the post-covid era and election year in America.

[@Lockieez]

I'd like to see the US introduce voter preferencing. So that voting for a 3rd party isn't just throwing your vote away, but instead the candidate preferences it to a top 2 candidate who most aligns with their views (assuming said 3rd party candidate isn't in the top 2).

[@squeaksquawk4255]

You mean Instant Runoff Voting?

[@electron8262]

Agreed. A society as diverse as the USA deserves to be represented by at least 6 political parties

[@doujinflip]

It'd have to be forced from the federal level, which itself is a legal hurdle due to the recognized sovereignty of the individual states. A few Red states have already preemptively banned anything but the winner-take-all method.

[@kberkstr]

@@doujinflipsome states already do have instant runoff though, it was a relatively big deal for Maine and Alaska within the last few years.

[@_blank-_]

@@electron8262 6 parties all owned by big money, coming in different flavors. You will NEVER have actual representation.

[@ONYX308]

Can u make a tutorial of how u do these presentations and animating?

[@Playerone1287]

Always wanted to learn about American politics, never learnt this deep before, only heard news Thanks

[@realcanadian96]

I have no words. That was one of the most interesting videos you guys have ever done.

[@amr99912]

As a native New Yorker I absolutely love Michigan and it’s people. It has some of the most underrated cities in the country, With lots of beautiful scenery. Downside is it’s laws and politics can get really confusing.

[@onomatopoeia162003]

We are probably the base of the midwest here in MN :) Time to tie our record this year. When it was 1860-1908.

[@shirairyu9806]

Paperboard over sealed windows stop the spread, only in Michigan politics.

[@lightfeather9953]

I could say the same about ny. Amazing state, plenty of bad politics. If it was so good then millions of citizens wouldn't have left the state.

[@brooksdaniel]

@amr44499, quiet you. We don't mind more people coming, just don't make a thing about it

[@cooper8357]

@@lightfeather9953 it's been tens of thousands that have left ny, not millions. There are definitly problems with it as a state but the over exaggeration is disingenuous.

[@adrzz1164]

I think Saginaw County, Michigan would've also been worth talking about. It is very car manufacturing-focussed area but also includes the wealthy town of Frankenmuth. It's also one of the few counties that flipped in Michigan that helped Trump win Michigan in 2016 but also lose it in 2020.

[@ToniosPlaylist]

Awesome video, thank you! Very interesting!

[@vinamraaggarwal4988]

Usually find videos on politics to be partisan, but this has been one of the most comprehensive analysis of an issue that would usually fly under the radar. It’s fascinating to see what kind of factors play a role in politics and how that can snowball and have a larger effect on the country as a whole. Hope Vox keeps producing content like this

[@onurbschrednei4569]

Michael Moore made a movie about this exact topic, how and why Michiganders voted in 2016, 8 years ago and already explained all of this. If you looked closely, it was all very clearly foreseeable.

[@sodapouchplayer5]

The editing in this video is on another level

[@jokeradviser5843]

Excellent! Proud subscriber!

[@mage1over137]

Trump wasn't the reason Macomb voted for Trump, they voted because Hillary is a deeply unpopular candidate for most Americans. She was literally the only candidate who could have lost. I had a professor who was all in for Hillary since the primary, and because of his social bubble he thought everyone else liked her. I explained to him she's literally hated by most Americans.

[@defaultusername1145]

Then why did trump win it in 2020?

[@gustavofring8802]

​@@defaultusername1145he didn´t

[@defaultusername1145]

@@gustavofring8802 well according to CNN he won it 53-45

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

Yeah, that's just how it was in 2016. Donald Trump was never a popular candidate, he was just less abhorrent than Clinton for some. Trump only became popular after he won and became a laughingstock, which voters who only voted AGAINST Clinton and not necessarily FOR Trump took personally and started to support Trump as a direct result of feeling attacked for their decision.

[@Arkiasis]

@@gustavofring8802 Because he was unpopular. In most elections in most countries actually people vote OUT someone rather than vote IN someone. It's why 2024 doesn't spark much optimism. It's the same 2 people running and because of that, there will be little enthusiasm. If I had to guess voter turnout this year will be very low. And Trump will win because of that because his base is energized. Democrats were energized in 2020 to get rid of Trump, but they're not gonna be energized to keep Biden in.

[@TamuSmann]

This is such a thoroughly fantastic video. Thank you for the deep dive!

[@warneraudio]

Excellent explanation. I’m from Macomb county but have lived in Georgia the last 30 years

[@thepacifier3603]

What a great video Vox!

[@MatthewStidham]

Look at the raw voter turnout in Detroit elections graph at 9:23. The turnout drops not in 2016, it drops in 2010. The entire narrative we have been fed is that 2010 was a tea party style revolution against Obama with people rising up against him, but this graph proves that wrong. What really happened between 2008 and 2010 is we saw a change in the chair of the DNC it went from Howard Dean and his 50s state strategy. To Tim Kane, who decided that he would only focus resources on a handful of swing districts and Michigan’s specifically Detroit was one of those places the DNC divested from, that is when turn out plummeted. Following that divestment from Michigan by Tim Kane is when we see Republicans take over the state before redistricting. As soon as Jamie, Harrison is chair in 2018 and invested in Michigan again, we win the state legislature again. I believe based on this that the funding strategy of the Democratic Party is the driving force in what caused the 2016 election to go in Trump’s favor. Because he was the only National candidate going to these communities campaigning.

[@tinfang-warble]

Really appreciate that you all were careful to include not just the UP but also Isle Royale in the maps of MI.

[@johnnywriight]

Those 4 cities do not represent the whole of michigan

[@jessemetz339]

Half way through this video and there’s been no mention of Obama mocking Flint during the water crisis as a reason why turnout was down in 2016.

[@avatarmikephantom153]

I’m an independent in Macomb county. Basically the current political standings are mostly due to the incompetence of the MIGOP. Essentially the best way to describe Michigan as a whole would be moderately conservative democratic…

[@connor4955]

Yep. I really wish people voted on fact vs. emotion and taking face value words from politicians. We’d see new parties that’d do what they’d say but that’s just not the case.

[@avatarmikephantom153]

@@connor4955 oh yeah, for sure. I really want the republicans to go away right now because once they are no longer the party that they are, most democrats will jump ship too. They vote democrat to oppose the republicans. If that’s no longer needed, it’s a bye Felicia moment. And the DNC would never see it coming.

[@Astrosk1er]

Also from Macomb, yep pretty average although more decisive issues do increase turnout

[@dkdjr2005]

This was a great video. As a person who has lived in the metro Detroit area my entire life I am glad that they did not shy away from discussing Macomb county and that one of the contributing factors to their vote swing was race. I have lived and worked in all three counties (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb) and by far you can tell a difference in Macomb. I was not surprised by the 2016 swing listed here at all.

[@Astrosk1er]

Born in raised Macomb, I can tell you I saw a ton more signs and flags and all that during 2016 definitely shows just how much an impact Trump had