How war will shape this state's vote
Perhaps nowhere else in the U.S. illustrates the political division over President Joe Biden’s support for Israel like Michigan.
Areas like Wayne County, Michigan, have some of the nation's largest Arab American communities. Many residents have friends and family in the Middle East who are directly affected by the war in Gaza. And if these Michiganders aren't immediately connected to the war, their neighbors are. The proximity to the devastation in Gaza has prompted pro-Palestinian support across the state and jolted Biden's supporters in a region that previously supported him.
Division among the state's Democratic voters over the Israel-Hamas war already proved potent in the Democratic primary, when pro-Palestinian Michiganders voted "uncommitted" to pressure Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire. The "uncommitted" vote beat Biden in the primary in the Michigan cities of Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck, areas home to large Arab American and Muslim communities, proving the power this community has to shape Biden's reelection plans.
Heading into the fall, how states like Michigan vote — or rather how many vote — could influence the presidential election.