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Saturday 28 april 2018
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Democrats, GOP both target voters behind cracked 'blue wall'

By SARA BURNETT and DA- considered the Democrat- ganization Working Amer-
VID EGGERT ic front-runner. ica, says Democrats need
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Democrats are embold- to work on their message.
Mich. (AP) — Automotive ened by recent wins in "People are really keen on
engineer Steve Semian places like Pennsylvania understanding 'How am I
credits Barack Obama and Wisconsin and by going to make a living and
with rescuing the auto in- the high emotions of their what's the future hold for
dustry and with it, much of backers. Last week, a fired- me?'" said Morrison, whose
Michigan. But the 47-year- up crowd of 6,700 flooded organization is conducting
old from Macomb County, a state party convention. one-on-one "front porch
north of Detroit, says it was Later, Whitmer said enthu- conversations" with voters.
the state's Republican gov- siasm across the state is In the African-American
ernor, Rick Snyder, who "like nothing I've ever seen community, where Demo-
"helped us pull through" af- before" and declared: "We crats need strong turnout
ter a long economic down- are on the brink of a big to win statewide, there's
turn. And now it's President change in Michigan." worry about a drop in turn-
Donald Trump who's fight- Still, many are skeptical out of 5 percentage points
ing to restore the country's about a new blue wall in a in Detroit in 2016 and the
manufacturing might. place where Republicans fact there's no viable Afri-
So as the midterm elections have dominated state gov- can-American Democratic
approach, Semian is lean- ernment for the last seven candidate for major office
ing Republican. years. this year.
"Of course we can always "I think what we had was Democrats aren't the only
point and find blame and an Obama wall," said Mich- ones counting on strong
all the other rhetoric that's igan Democratic Party feelings about Trump.
going on with all of (Trump's) In this April 19, 2018, photo, automotive engineer Steve Semian Chairman Brandon Dillon. Trump's Michigan admir-
personal issues," he said as speaks about Michigan's political climate at his son's baseball In addition to winning tradi- ers are "very, very passion-
he watched his 7-year-old practice in Romeo, Mich. tionally Democratic-friend- ate about the president,
son's baseball practice out- Associated Press ly young people, moderate and those people are still
side an elementary school independents and African- involved," said Juston John-
last week. "But as the end Democrats need to pick up as African-American sup- Americans, Obama swept son, political director for
result, he's keeping our jobs about two dozen seats for porters in Detroit to the some conservative coun- the Republican National
stable." a majority. Democrats also polls — a plan that fell short ties after his aid for the auto Committee.
Both parties are paying will try to win back gover- in 2014. industry. The RNC has been train-
particular attention to the norships in Michigan, Wis- Both parties are focused "To the extent that we can ing thousands of volunteers
mood in places like this consin and Iowa, and keep intensely on Michigan's rebuild, I think that's really and talking up issues that
because of the decisive Senate seats in Michigan wealthiest and most edu- what we're trying to focus "test off the charts" in the
impact the upper Midwest and Wisconsin. cated congressional district on: How do we put that state, such as infrastructure
had in the 2016 presiden- Macomb County, the site to the west of Macomb — coalition back together?" investment and pursuing
tial race, and could have of Trump's rally, is among the kind with Republicans asked Dillon. trade deals favoring Ameri-
again this fall in determin- the predominantly white who are typically least en- How Michigan's economy can workers, said Johnson.
ing control of Congress. counties known as a base amored of Trump — where will affect the election is Take voter Terri Rogulski,
Michigan, where Trump for "Reagan Democrats" GOP Rep. Dave Trott is re- debatable. While the state a real estate agent from
will travel this weekend for — blue-collar voters who tiring. A large field of can- is in its ninth straight year of Washington Township,
a rally, is one of the states abandoned the Demo- didates includes business recovery, not all the jobs where new housing devel-
that Hillary Clinton counted cratic Party for Ronald executive Lena Epstein, are back, and crumbling opments seem to be going
on to help her win the presi- Reagan, but who can be an ardent Trump support- infrastructure, especially up all over the place. She
dency in 2016. Instead, its intriguingly movable. er, and Democrat Suneel potholed roads, is high says 2017 was a peak year
voters — part of a so-called Obama won the county Gupta, a former Groupon among voter concerns. for her industry, which she
"blue wall" that tradition- twice, then Trump carried executive. The Michigan Democratic attributes to tax cuts and
ally backed Democrats it by more than 11 percent- In the governor's race, Party hired six regional co- the strong economy.
for president — delivered age points. Attorney General Bill ordinators in early 2017, Rogulski plans to vote Re-
Trump to the White House. To win statewide this year, Schuette, who will attend and is now spending 30 to publican in 2018.
At stake this fall in the re- Democrats must win over a this weekend's Trump rally 40 percent of its budget on "Everything's good. My
gion are roughly a dozen lot of politically moderate in Washington Township, its ground game, up from paychecks are larger. I like
closely contested congres- people in places like Ma- is leading the GOP field, barely 5 percent in 2015. that," she said. "We need-
sional races that could help comb County, plus coax while former legislative Matt Morrison, director of ed a change and we got
swing the House, where more sporadic voters such leader Gretchen Whitmer is the AFL-CIO-affiliated or- one."q