Hello, this is Connor. The article below makes the point that Kamala is not only facing problems with a significant number of Muslims in Michigan for not stopping arms exports to Israel and declaring that nothing will change regarding Israel’s “right to self-defense.”
There is also the issue of voter turnout in the Detroit area, where he needs to increase voter turnout to win the state, and one of the biggest issues for voters there is access to water (yes, this is America in 2024).
Of course, Kamala didn’t mention any of this during her Labor Day visit to Detroit, and the other candidate with a chance of winning in “the greatest democracy in the world” is no different on these issues.
September 19, Trump said “We will rid our midst of foreign jihadists and Hamas supporters. We will drive them out of our country,” Trump declared at the Israeli-American Council’s National Summit 2024. He also said he would ban the resettlement of refugees from “terror-infested areas” like the Gaza Strip.
Trump also held a town hall meeting in Flint on Tuesday, but made no mention of lead poisoning in the city’s drinking water supply. Drinking filtered Flint water with President Obamathey forced the public to make similarly weak statements. Detroit Free Press:
On Tuesday, spokespeople for both the Trump and Harris campaigns voiced their support for Flint and safe drinking water in general, and touted steps their administrations have taken in these areas. But neither campaign said whether their candidates, if elected, would direct the EPA to drop its claims of immunity from civil liability and seek financial settlements with Flint residents. The EPA is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, and records show that EPA officials knew about the dangerously improper treatment of Flint River water for months before residents were notified.
The problem for Kamala, according to reports from the race, is that she needs the support of Detroit and Dearborn voters much more than she needs Trump, so bipartisan support for genocide and hatred of the poor is more damaging to her and to Democrats who weren’t previously on board with such things.
Not surprisingly, many Michigan residents Looking for They were forced to choose between supporting the Green Party’s anti-war candidate Jill Stein or simply not voting. For example, the Uncommitted Movement, which started in Michigan, Strange statement On September 19, he issued a statement refusing to endorse Kamala, opposing Trump and not encouraging voting for a third party.
Although they have done nothing to win their votes and have actively incurred their hatred by endorsing genocide, if Trump wins the state and the presidential election, Democrats will undoubtedly (and some already have) point the finger at Michigan’s Muslims. As the article below shows, they may have another group they can blame: people who cannot afford luxuries like water.
By Ronald Brown, professor of political science at Wayne State University, and R. Kari Brown, professor of sociology at Wayne State University. conversation.
On November 5, 2020, at the TCF Center in Detroit, President Donald Trump They said poll workers in the city distributed duplicate ballots and there were unexplained delays in delivering ballots for counting.
both This claim was later denied.
Emboldened by Trump’s speech, dozens of Trump supporters, mostly white Republicans, banged on the doors and windows of the vote counting center,Stop the count!”
But Detroit poll workers, most of whom are black, finished counting the ballots. 95% of Detroit votersIt is the largest city in Michigan and has the largest African-American population. 78% of residents – Voted for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
we Political Science and Sociology He is a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he teaches about the relationship between race, religion and politics. Our Research They divided African-American voters in Detroit into two groups: one that clearly supports Kamala Harris, and another whose support for Harris is crucial for her to win Michigan.
Firmly in the Kamala camp
African Americans who are likely to vote for Harris in November 2024 are staunch Democratic supporters. People who feel Trump threatens black political progress Towards democracy.
Harris also represents the NAACP, black Greek organizations, and Religious groups associated with advocacy groups Like Moses, Michigan Welfare Rights Group and Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee.
But what about working-class and poor black Detroit residents, who are less connected to the Democratic Party and less involved in grassroots organizations working on their behalf, who vote inconsistently in presidential elections but, as recent history has shown, could be the key to winning in Michigan? Key Battleground States.
Small changes in voter turnout matter
Detroit voters helped Biden win the state That wasn’t the case in the White House in 2020. Hillary Clinton in 2016.
This difference is due in part to lower voter turnout.
In 2016, 95% of Detroiters voted In the presidential election, he chose Democratic candidate Clinton. She lost Michigan by 0.2%. – Less than 11,000 votes.
One reason for the difference in Michigan’s presidential election results between 2016 and 2020 is that voter turnout in Detroit was lower in 2016 than in 2020.
In 2016, Turnout in Detroit was 48.6%. – Compared to 50.88% in 2020Detroit’s high voter turnout in 2020 helped Biden win Michigan in 2020. Less than 3% margin.
Let’s assume that 2016 and 2020 are any guide to 2024. In that case, Harris’ chances of winning Michigan in November will depend less on losing black voters to Trump and more on getting black voters in Detroit and across the state to the polls. This is key, because African-Americans About 13% of US votersWhen it comes to voting, they vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party.
In many ways, 2020 was a referendum on President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on Black Americans. Almost twice as likely Fewer white Americans are dying from the virus.
The election was also a referendum on Trump’s racial policies. In the summer of 2020, as protests against police violence against black people raged across the country, Trump called for the protesters to Anti-Americans and criminals.
It is not surprising, therefore, that in 2020 the vast majority of African Americans across the nation (over 90%) said: Racism and COVID-19 Concerns It motivated them to vote.
Heading into the 2024 election, a big question looms: Will turnout among Detroit’s black voters be closer to 2016 or 2020?
Quality of life issues will be key in 2024
In early 2024, quality of life concerns about crime, vacant buildings and affordable housing were the top three issues Detroit residents wanted the city and U.S. government to address. According to the Detroit Metropolitan Community Survey:.
Similarly, a poll conducted by Suffolk University and USA Today in August 2024 found that: About 60% of black voters in Michigan They cited rising costs of living, crime and health care costs as motivating factors for their willingness to vote.
These issues are top of mind for black voters across the country, according to a February 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Over 90% of Black Americans They believe presidential candidates should discuss the rising cost of living and health care costs, and three-quarters also believe they should discuss protecting the Affordable Care Act.
The 2024 election is a critical moment to address these issues.
Detroit’s Continuing Water Problems
Cost of living is a key issue for working-class and low-income Detroit residents. Cost of Water.
As the Detroit city government tries to recover from its bankruptcy in 2013, it has begun aggressively targeting residents who are behind on their water bills. Over 141,000 residents Between 2013 and 2020.
As of 2023, 27% of Detroit households, or about 170,000 people, Unpaid water billOf the 60,000 people who are behind on their water bills, the average debt is $700.
In response to the crisis, local grassroots organizations, many of which are faith-based, Michigan Welfare Rights Grouporganized local residents and pushed for the passage of legislation linking water rates to residents’ incomes.
October 2023, Michigan Democrat Senator Stephanie Chan He introduced a series of bills to do just that, The bill is stalled In the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee.
A survey conducted in the Detroit metropolitan area in April 2024 found that: 87% of blacks in Detroit I support these water price fairness bills.
Whether Harris can generate the same level of black voter turnout in Michigan, and Detroit in particular, as she did in 2020 may depend on whether she can clearly articulate a federal plan to address cost-of-living concerns, including securing federal grants for cities like Detroit to help subsidize water bills for working-class and low-income residents.
Harris did not specifically address the water bill issue during the campaign, but Labor Day Visit to DetroitShe told the audience that, unlike President Trump, she would not impose a national sales tax on everyday items, and she promised to make prescription drugs more affordable and strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
Will Harris’ message that Detroiters’ cost of living will get worse under Trump be enough to galvanize the city’s black residents to vote for her?
This is a key issue for the 2024 race in Michigan, where she and Trump are at odds. Statistical tie among voters.
