The Other Issue That Could Make Or Break Michigan For Joe Biden

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There’s no mystery about who will win Tuesday’s presidential primaries here in my home state of Michigan. But there’s some drama on the Democratic side, because of the push for “uncommitted” votes to demonstrate anger with President Joe Biden over his support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A substantial showing for “uncommitted” would raise the possibility that Biden is losing ground among two key groups, young progressives and Michigan’s substantial Arab-American population. It’s not clear exactly what would qualify as “ substantial ” — or even whether it will be possible to tell from Tuesday’s results. But if, say, tens of thousands of would-be supporters stay home in November, that could make a big difference in a state Biden won by only 150,000 in 2020. And there aren’t many winning electoral scenarios for Biden in 2024 that don’t include Michigan.

But Gaza isn’t the only issue that could undermine Biden’s chances here. You don’t even have to take my word for it. Just listen to his likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, who was back in the Detroit suburbs this past Saturday and devoted a big, early chunk of his speech to Biden’s strong support of electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.

“Crooked Joe has ordered a hit job on Michigan manufacturing with his insane electric vehicle mandate,” Trump said, referring to requirements that American automakers hit emission targets that will, over time, require shifting production from gas-powered cars and trucks over to EVs.

The supposed menace of the requirement (and EVs more generally) has been a staple of Trump campaign rhetoric for a while . It’s part of a broader