The Democratic Presidential Debates are going to be in Detroit on July 30-31. Michigan is an interesting place for the primary debates to be, partly because so many of the 25 candidates have already campaigned here.
Additionally, Michigan has developed into a swing state in recent years, which has brought most of the candidates here already. In 2016, Michigan voted for Donald Trump—the first time a Republican won the state since 1998.
But in 2018, it flipped again. Michigan elected a Democratic governor, attorney general and Secretary of State.
In the wake of both of those elections, Michigan is now considered a "purple state," and it has been said in some form or another: the road to the White House runs through Michigan.
Here is what all of the 20 candidates who are participating in the debates have said about Michigan during their campaigns:
BATTLEGROUND STATE
Most of the candidates recognize that Michigan will be a state to fight for, especially since Trump won it with 10,704 votes over Hilary Clinton.
Joe Biden
Who: Former Vice President to Barack Obama, former Delaware Senator
Polling: 29.3%
Quote: "Michigan, and Detroit in particular, will be crucial to defeating Donald Trump and restoring the soul of our nation, and I look forward to meeting firsthand with voters over the coming months to make the case."
Bernie Sanders
Who: Vermont Senator
Polling: 15.0%
Quote: "“When [Trump] was running for president, the very biggest lie that he told here in Michigan, Wisconsin, and all over this country, was that he was going to stand with the working class of our country, that he was on their side, and that he would take on powerful special interests to take on working families.”
Kamala Harris
Who: Current California senator, former California Attorney General
Polling: 11.8%
Quote: “Who can speak to the Midwest,” she said. “Too often, the definition of the Midwest leaves people out. It leaves people in this room who helped build cities like Detroit. It leaves out working women who are on their feet all day.”
Beto O'Rourke
Who: Former Texas Congressman
Polling: 2.7%
Quote: “Michigan is important, so here we start the fifth day of our campaign our second event today in Michigan I wanted to be here in this state as early as I possibly could."
Amy Klobuchar
Who: Minnesota Senator
Polling: 1.3%
Quote: "There is a reason the debates are here. This is a very important state. We don't want to lose Michigan again," she said. "Michigan came roaring back in 2018 and it's going to happen again in the general election."
Steve Bullock
Who: Montana Governor
Polling: 0.7%
Quote: “And I think I could also win in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and make Florida competitive in places we lost,” he said. “There are large parts of the country I think that I could win and in that respect I think I offer a lot.”
John Hickenlooper
Who: Former Colorado Governor
Polling: 0.5%
Quote: “We've achieved these big progressive goals, but we didn't need to go to massive government expansions, which I don't think we're going to sell in Ohio and Michigan and North Carolina."
Tim Ryan
Who: Ohio Congressman
Polling: 0.3%
Quote: “I could win Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin; rebuild the blue wall; and take out Trump.”
Michael Bennet
Who: Colorado Senator
Polling: 0.3%
Quote: “Democrats gained seven governorships in 2018, including winning in key states like Michigan and Wisconsin. We should be building on those gains with an agenda that has broad support — not policies like Medicare for All that make private insurance illegal.”
POLICIES FOR MICHIGAN
Some of the candidates have already presented specific policy ideas and plans that they would want to implement with the people of Michigan in mind.
Elizabeth Warren
Who: Massachusetts Senator
Polling: 14.5%
Quote: “Under a Warren Administration, the focus will be on defending and creating American jobs right here in Michigan and all across the country.”
Andrew Yang
Who: Entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America
Polling: 2.0%
Quote: “The reason why Donald Trump is our president today is that we automated away four million manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, all the swing States he needed to win... It is advancing technology and then proposing real solutions that will help us manage this transition."
Kirsten Gillibrand
Who: New York Senator
Polling: 0.5%
Quote: “In the last Congress, I passed 18 bills with a Republican House, Senate and President signing them into law. Those are common-sense bills, like rural broadband, money for made-in-America manufacturing, money for small businesses — things that can actually make a difference in places like Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.”
Jay Inslee
Who: Washington Governor
Polling: Less than 1%
Quote: ““The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, and the proposed oil tunnel to replace it, are a clear and present threat to the health of the Great Lakes and to our climate.”
FLINT WATER CRISIS
It's been five years since the Flint Water Crisis started, and it has been a point of discussion in politics ever since. During the 2016 election cycle, then-candidates Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders held a debate there.
It has even come up a couple of times so far in the 2020 election.
Julian Castro
Who: Former San Antonio Mayor, Housing and Urban Development Director under Obama
Polling: 1.0%
Quote: “We want to be a strong partner with them and connect the dots of economic opportunity and great quality of life so that in places like Flint, somebody can reach their full American dream, just like anywhere else.”
John Delaney
Who: Former Maryland Congressman
Polling: 0.7%
Quote: “The crisis in Flint, Michigan is just one tragic example of the serious health effects of not ensuring that every American has access to clean water.”
GENERAL QUOTES ABOUT MICHIGAN
A couple of the candidates have not said specific things, yet, about Michigan. Or they haven't said anything at all that's been reported. Here are those remaining candidates.
Pete Buttigieg
Who: South Bend, Ind. Mayor
Polling: 5%
Buttigieg has not made any concrete statements about Michigan, but he recently held a donors event in Saugatuck. And his husband, Chasten, is from Traverse City.
Cory Booker
Who: Former Newark Mayor, current New Jersey Senator
Polling: 1.7%
Quote: Booker's campaign said this: "...Turning the common pain felt by Michiganders and communities across this country into a common purpose under his leadership.”
Tulsi Gabbard
Who: Hawaii Congresswoman
Polling: 1%
Gabbard has also not made any campaign statements about Michigan. However, her mother graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 1965 and attended the University of Michigan before moving to Hawaii.
Bill de Blasio
Who: NYC Mayor
Polling: 0.7%
De Blasio has not commented on Michigan. But interestingly, in June, he was the top searched candidate in Luce County in the Upper Peninsula.
Marianne Williamson
Who: Author, activist
Polling: 0.3%
Quote: “Detroit is a piece of my heart.”
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