Donald Trump Wins Michigan, Replicating 2016 Map in the Historic 'Blue Wall' States
Michigan was one of the largest swing states that Harris and Trump fought to win over in this election cycle, making up part of the northern "Blue Wall" that Democrats aimed to sweep this year
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Former President Donald Trump delivers a victory speech shortly before the race was called in his favor early on Nov. 6, 2024Donald Trump won the swing state of Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 6, adding its 15 electoral votes to his Electoral College majority, according to Associated Press projections.
Trump's total tally now sits at 292 Electoral College votes, well over the 270 required to secure the presidency. At the time of the call, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris had 224 electoral votes.
Michigan is part of the historic "Blue Wall," a group of traditionally Democratic states including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that were identified ahead of Election Day as Harris' easiest path to victory.
Trump disrupted the Blue Wall in 2016, delivering him a decisive victory over Hillary Clinton, and colored in the electoral map similarly this year.
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Vice President Kamala Harris at an Oct. 18, 2024, campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich.In 2024, unique concerns about President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war strained Democrats' relationship with some voters in Michigan, which has the largest Arab American population in the nation. In Michigan's primary election in February, more than 100,000 Democrats protested Biden's defense of Israel by saying they were "uncommitted" on ballots.
Though Harris initially appeared to make progress in winning uncommitted voters back when she took over the Democratic ticket, concerns lingered on Nov. 5 that even a small number of voters abstaining from the election could harm her chances of winning the state.
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Michigan has been crucial in the past few presidential elections, helping candidates secure the 270 votes needed to decide the election. Their electoral votes went to Biden in 2020, having previously gone to Trump in 2016.
Prior Trump's 2016 victory in the state, the Electoral College had a long track record of voting blue, choosing the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1992.
Harris is expected to deliver remarks at her alma mater Howard University on Wednesday afternoon to close out her history-making campaign.
