Donald Trump's Record-Breaking Success In Michigan Primary Is Bad News For Biden

Donald Trump is no stranger to setting records, as shown in every election contest this cycle so far. On Tuesday, that record of success didn't stop. The presumptive GOP nominee and 45th president handily defeated former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) in the Michigan primary by winning every single county and securing the most votes of any primary candidate, both Democrat and Republican, in the state's history.

With over 95 percent of the vote counted, Trump won 756,851 votes, or 68.3 percent, compared to Haley's 294,884 votes, or 26.6 percent. An additional 33,404 votes went for the 'Uncommitted' option. Trump has repeatedly set electoral records in recent contests after he secured a record-breaking margin of victory in the Iowa caucus and become the first non-incumbent to win Iowa and New Hampshire. Given his stellar performance, Trump is set to win big in November if he can maintain his campaign's momentum and the Republican base remains energized.

Democrats also held their primary on the same day, which was won, almost by default, by President Joe Biden. However, a substantial amount of the vote, 13.3 percent, voted for the 'Uncommitted' option as a protest vote against Biden's support of Israel in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas.

With over 95 percent of the vote counted, Biden won 618,426 votes, or 81.1 percent. That is notably over 105,000 votes less than Trump, most likely driven by the fact that 101,100 votes went for the 'Uncommitted' option. The Michigan results spell trouble for Biden in the general election given that the 'Uncommitted' vote, largely driven by the state's Arab American community, was a sizeable margin that could sway the 2024 election. 

In the 2020 election, Biden narrowly won the state by 154,000 votes, meaning that even if a fraction of the Democratic base decides not to show up to the polls in November as a form of protest, Biden could easily lose the 16 electoral votes that The Great Lake State possesses. Biden's lack of support amongst the Arab American community was highlighted by the results in Dearborn, Michigan, the epicenter of the state's Muslim-American community. With 97 percent of the vote counted in the city, Biden was supported by only 40 percent of voters, while 56 percent voted for 'Uncommitted.'

Recent polling also spells trouble for the 81-year-old Democrat, with Trump winning 12 of the last 14 statewide polls focused on the general election, per Five Thirty Eight. Trump's Real Clear Politics polling average in the state also stands at 4.2 percent. The Michigan primary was a turning point for both Biden and Trump. The presumptive Republican nominee once again showed his momentum with a record-breaking victory, while Biden highlighted a weakness that could sink his reelection chances.

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