On Tuesday, MSNBC host Alex Wagner hosted a live show from the critical battleground state of Michigan. With less than six weeks to go until Election Day, both Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have made the state a top priority.
Victory in the Great Lakes State is still within reach for both campaigns: A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll published this week found Harris narrowly leads Trump there, 48% to 45%, well within the poll’s 4.4% margin of error.
The union workers expressed little interest in stories that have dominated media coverage of the campaign, like Trump’s legal troubles or abortion.
Wagner sat down with voters from a key constituency being courted by Harris and Trump: union members. According to NBC News exit polls, 21% of people who cast a ballot in Michigan in 2020 came from a household with one or more union members.
Wagner described her conversations with the group as a “fascinating, complicated snapshot from the frontlines of the 2024 election,” and said their thoughts were “critical at understanding why this race remains so very close.”
While some union members Wagner spoke with had already made up their minds on the candidates, many remained undecided. That same USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found 4% of voters in Michigan were still unsure whom they would vote for in November.
“I’m undecided because I haven’t seen enough of it yet. I need to pay closer attention and kind of do more independent research before I make my judgment,” one voter told Wagner.
Immigration was a top concern listed by several undecided voters, especially among those casting their ballot for the first time. Those voters told Wagner they were concerned about the southern border and believed immigrants were taking jobs away from U.S. citizens. (Studies have shown immigrants to the U.S. create more jobs than they take.) Housing and wages were also top issues among first-time, undecided voters.
But, as Wagner noted, perhaps what was just as interesting was what was not on the minds of these voters. The union workers expressed little interest in stories that have dominated media coverage of the campaign, like abortion or Trump’s legal troubles.
“I’m not familiar with the charges that are being brought against him” in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, one voter told Wagner. “I’m not following that.”
Only one voter in the crowd of nearly 60 raised their hand when asked if they were familiar with the Dobbs decision, the Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. “What matters most and what may ultimately determine their votes this year are the conversations they have in their community,” Wagner observed. There was also a stark generational divide among the union members, with several older, veteran members throwing their support behind Harris. Younger members tended to be undecided or leaning toward Trump. “We have to move our country forward,” one Harris supporter told Wagner, adding: “Donald Trump is pulling us backwards.” Another Harris voter referred to his fellow union member’s concern over the economy but argued that preserving democracy was a more important issue. “I’m not going to lose my democracy over the price of a gallon of gas or the price of a loaf of bread,” he said. “Democracy is too fragile, and it’s too important.”
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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