Rep. Bill Huizenga said there has been a "powerful" political shift toward Republicans in Michigan.
The 55-year-old Republican congressman, now in his seventh term, appeared on the Daily Signal Podcast ahead of the 2024 election, now just days away, and spoke about party realignment in Michigan. He claimed that in Michigan, lifelong Democrats are shifting to the Republican party.
When asked if he had seen party realignment in Michigan, the congressman responded "absolutely." He added that within his family "attitudes have shifted. The notion of ever voting for a Republican, much less calling yourself a Republican, never would have crossed their minds 20 years ago. That has certainly grown. It's something to watch."
Huizenga then said: "Look at what's been happening with African American and Hispanic communities. They certainly have been looking around saying, "You know what? Maybe our morals and our sort of center of gravity and our beliefs don't quite fit with the Democrats."
The congressman said that Democrats have been "losing their grip" in areas that had been "pretty solidly in their camp."
He described the shift as a "powerful" indictment of "what's been happening" within the Democratic party, which he described as a "party of the elites."
"They've not just drifted leftwards," he said. "They've taken a hard turn leftwards in many of their stances and platforms."
Michigan is a critical battleground state in the election and was described by Huizenga as "literally the road to the White House, the road to the Senate [Republican] majority, and the road to our own majority in the House of Representatives."
Recent Michigan polls show a toss up race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, as is the case across much of America. It looks like being one of the closest elections in recent history.
According to a Redfield & Wilton Strategies' poll conducted on October 20-22 with 1,115 respondents, both candidates are tied at 47 percent in Michigan.
Quinnipiac University's October 17-21 poll of 1,136 people showed Harris leading by 4 points, with 50 percent to Trump's 46 percent, while a Trafalgar Group poll from October 18-20, sampling 1,090 respondents, has Trump slightly ahead at 46 percent compared to Harris' 44 percent in Michigan.
The 2024 presidential campaign is now in its final days. The latest polling averages from FiveThirtyEight put Harris ahead by just over 1 point, with the candidates the closest they have been since August. The poll put Harris at 47.9 percent and Trump at 46.8 percent.
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