Michigan has seen visits from Presidential campaigns of both parties, as well as two debates, one in Detroit with the Republican candidates and the other in Flint with the Democrats running for President.
Michigan Public Radio Network Capitol Bureau Chief Rick Pluta joined us from Lansing to discuss where things stand a day before Michigan’s Presidential Primary.
Delegates will be awarded proportionally, the candidates have to get at least 15% of the vote to get any delegates. Pluta says that threshold is important for Ohio Governor John Kasich who has traveled throughout the state in the run up to Michigan’s primary.
Endorsements from various politicians in Michigan have been going to various candidates. Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley endorsed Kasich last week, the politically influential Devos family is backing Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Pluta says it’s probably too late to rally around one candidate for the establishment to stop Donald Trump from getting the Republican nomination. But Republicans in Michigan and nationwide are looking for ways to defeat Trump.
A splintering of the vote among several candidates could prevent Trump from getting enough delegates before the party’s convention this summer in Cleveland. Pluta says that’s what many “establishment” Republicans are hoping for. But he says denying the nomination to Trump if he has a plurality of delegates would still “upset a lot of people.”
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is a heavy favorite in Michigan. Pluta says Clinton's organization and appeal with African-American voters explain her large lead in the polls.
Sanders has made several campaign stops in Michigan, including one Monday morning in Kalamazoo. Pluta says Sanders is trying to get his economic populist message out, and drive up turnout on colleges campuses where he is more popular.
