US Politics

Vance’s Midwestern roots appeal to Michigan voters despite Buckeye ties

JD Vance with arms extended, flags behind him

Voters in a critical county in the swing state of Michigan believe that Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s Midwestern roots help him appeal to people in Michigan, even if the Republican nominee for vice president is a graduate of a hated rival.

“Besides being a Buckeyes fan, he’s got a good story. He grew up kind of truly in poverty and was able to overcome that,” one voter in Detroit told Fox News Digital ahead of a Vance event in the city Tuesday, adding that Vance’s story shows how people can accomplish the “American Dream.”

The comments come as the presidential election hits the home stretch, with the venue event in Detroit coming exactly four weeks before Election Day. Michigan figures to play a key role in determining the eventual winner, having narrowly gone for former President Donald Trump in 2016 before another close race swung the state to President Biden in 2020.

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Senator JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio and Republican vice-presidential nominee, arrives for a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The 2024 version of the race is shaping up to be close again, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing Vice President Kamala Harris with a slim 0.5 point lead over Trump as of Wednesday.

Wayne County, which includes Detroit and is Michigan’s most populous county, could play a key role in determining who emerges with the victory in the state. 

While the county has traditionally supported Democratic candidates, Republicans have made inroads with voters in Wayne County since Trump’s 2016 campaign. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, captured just over 26% of the vote in the county during his 2012 campaign, while the late Sen. John McCain was only able to capture just under 25% during his 2008 White House bid. But Trump has performed better during his two runs, garnering over 29% and over 30% of the vote in Wayne County in 2016 and 2020.

The Trump campaign is hoping its appeal to working class voters will help it make even more inroads with Wayne County voters, a strategy that Vance is at the center of.

“I think that JD Vance is an incredible statesman, effective communicator,” one voter attending the rally told Fox News Digital, adding that the Ohio Senator’s Ohio roots also help shore “up support…

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