Michigan’s state university system was key to keeping the state healthy in 2020. Polls in 2024 show a close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and turnout among state school students is on the rise. A new level of urgency for Democrats.
Democrats are running a strong campaign across the state, particularly on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus just east of the state capital. Many are warning of the “dangers” of a second term under former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and imploring students to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Recent polls show Trump closing in on a lead over Harris in Michigan, a state that could swing the election. If Trump can secure the battleground states of Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, a win in Michigan would be enough to return him to the White House. (Related: Overwhelming majority of university faculty plan to vote for Harris, poll results)
“We know that Gen Z has the power to keep Michigan blue,” Stella Camerlengo, director of communications for the University of Michigan Democratic Federation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Michigan had the highest youth voter turnout in 2020, and we hope to see similar results in 2024. With the election so close and in a battleground state, we have the Harris campaign on campus. We have flooded our delegates with voter registration efforts and other events to ensure young people vote blue this fall.”
Students have historically been one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable demographics, but rising tensions on campus over the Gaza conflict may be weakening student support for the party. Muslim Michiganders are already making a concerted effort to deny Harris their vote.
“Given Michigan’s 10,000-vote margin in 2016, every little thing matters, including student turnout at large universities like MSU and UM.” ) political science professor Ken Coleman told DCNF. . “At this point, no one knows what will happen, but neither side is going to take any chances. And given that young, educated voters lean toward the Democratic Party, it’s natural that the Harris camp will I would feel much more at ease if the turnout was high.”
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s visit to MSU’s campus to support Harris was tainted by anti-Israel students, who accused the governor of allowing the activists to operate. arrested During a spring demonstration at the University of Michigan.
“Eleven of my friends have been arrested by Attorney General Dana Nessel,” shouted college student Jesse Estrada White, interrupting Whitmer’s speech. According to Go to MSU’s student newspaper, The State News. “Governor. Whitmer, please condemn the actions of your attorney general. Defend the right to peacefully protest.”
Democrats are struggling to resonate with student activists, a persistent problem in President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign that Harris may not be able to shake off. Harris tried to draw a line between Israel and Hamas, a strategy that alienated both pro-Israel and anti-Israel supporters.
Trump, on the other hand, scored. approval Ameer Gharib took office in September as mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, which is represented by an all-Muslim council.
Whitmer’s Oct. 17 visit was part of a blue wall bus tour with the governor and others aimed at mobilizing student voters in the close race. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland, Maura Healy of Massachusetts; According to In state news. The group spoke at the university’s student hall, warning that the fate of the election was in the hands of students.
This is the only time the Spartans are asked to turn blue. 💚 pic.twitter.com/SDhO86TFVr
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) October 18, 2024
“Maryland’s college students made sure we won this race,” Moore said of the 2022 gubernatorial race, according to the State News. “College students will ensure Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States.”
Registered voters under 30 still overwhelmingly support Harris over Trump, 53% to 33%. According to According to a Harvard University national poll conducted in October. Among registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29 in battleground states, 50% plan to vote for Harris, compared to 41% for Trump.
“We have the power,” Whitmer said, according to state news. “How we vote will determine the fate of everyone, not just in Michigan, not just in this country, but around the world.”
The nationwide student turnout was 66%. 2020 Presidential elections, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement. At UM, Michigan’s two largest universities, 33,488 Undergraduates and MSU 40,483 Undergraduate students as of 2023, voting rate in 2020 is 78.1% and 76.6%respectively.
Ingham and Washtenaw counties, home to MSU and UM, respectively, helped win Biden votes in 2020, according to CNN election results. show. Washtenaw had the highest approval rating for Biden among all counties in the state at 72.6%, while Ingham had 65.2%.
“I think Michigan is a tough place for national Republicans to win, and has been for some time,” Michael McKenna, president of MWR Strategies, told DCNF. “That being said, Trump is likely to win the state despite, or perhaps because of, Vice President Harris’ frequent travels.The caveat with young voters is that they vote for Vice President Harris. Young women who are more likely to vote appear to be more likely to vote than young men.
“This is a challenge for Team Trump,” McKenna added.
Whitmer, who visited MSU’s campus for the third time in October, participated in Tuesday’s rally along with Curtis Hertel, a candidate for the House of Representatives in Michigan’s 7th District, to petition students to vote and say, “I’m an advocate for young people.” Just do what I’m told,” he said. According to In state news.
“This generation is going to live with the consequences of this election longer than any other generation,” Whitmer continued, according to state news. “You have the biggest stake in the outcome of this election.”
Hertel then led students in a march to the campus’ early voting center, telling them, “As you head to the polls, your future depends on your ballot,” according to state news.
“In Michigan as a whole, the youth vote is huge just because it’s a battleground state,” said Liam Lisich, president of the MSU College Democrats, according to the State News. “We want to make sure everyone gets out. Especially in the 7th Congressional District and Mid-Michigan, it’s very competitive. We are the heart of the state.”
In another appeal for the youth vote, Whitmer appeared on campus on Oct. 8, speaking with College Democrats and visiting her former sorority. According to Go to state news. There, the governor denounced Trump and told students to vote for Harris, who supports gun control and tackling climate change.
“If you look at the two candidates on the debate stage, it’s hard to believe this is going to be a close election,” Whitmer told a crowd of 250 people, according to state news. “When I see men who have stumbled through life and are third born and want to triple their weight, or women who have worked hard to get to where they are, it’s hard to believe it’s even close.”
“What happens on this campus matters,” she continued, stressing that Democrats need voters between the ages of 18 and 22, according to state news.
Due to the liberal leanings of college students on campus, MSU College Republicans are primarily focused on off-campus activities, the club’s vice president Zane Blatch told DCNF.
“The number of Democratic voters is increasing.” [on campus]” Blatch said. “Local Democratic voters are louder and more easily heard, which makes it easier for Democratic campaigns to reach them and try to reach them, and Republicans and conservatives have an easier route than we have. It’s like going to a nearby town and knocking on doors. That’s kind of what I’ve seen, [Democrats are] We focus on campuses because it’s easier to reach voters. ”
Other prominent Democrats are trying to make similar appeals to student populations.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke Sept. 13 in East Lansing, just north of the MSU campus. The vice presidential nominee warned students and supporters in the crowd that abortion was a critical issue in this election, portraying her September debate against Trump with Harris as a success. According to Go to state news.
The Midwest is enjoying a sunny day today for our Honorable MSU Democratic Party and Vice President-elect. @Tim_Walz! 💚 pic.twitter.com/rmF3mUz0Bt
— MSU University Democrats (@MSUDems) August 6, 2024
On October 6, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke to a crowd of about 800 people on MSU’s campus, focusing on climate change and student loan cancellation. According to In the Lansing State Journal.
“We have to work hard to get Kamala and Tim elected over the next four weeks,” Sanders said, according to the State Journal.
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