AUSTIN, TX – Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, fiercely rejected polls that give Vice President Kamala Harris a sizable lead over former President Trump, declaring that “it's simply not true.”
“I get nervous when I see any poll that says Kamala Harris now has a five-point lead in Michigan. That's just not true,” Whitmer said Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival.
“It's going to be a very close race. I think we can win it. And I think we will, but it's going to be very close,” Whitmer added.
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Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sits with Texas Tribune's Evan Smith at the Paramount Theatre for the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas, Sept. 5, 2024. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
Whitmer was referring to a CNN poll released this week that showed Harris with a five-point lead over Trump.
“In Michigan right now, we have Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and we have three other people on the ballot. CNN didn't test for that,” Whitmer said. “And that's why, as I look at these polls, I tell everyone, don't get comfortable with any of them. You can't ignore Michigan.”
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However, the CNN poll included three other candidates, showing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 4% (he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump while fighting to remove his name from the Michigan ballot), Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver at 1% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 0%.
Whitmer highlighted the impact of third-party candidates, particularly with regard to Stein during the 2016 election.
“In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump by 11,000 votes. Jill Stein was also on our ballot and got over 11,000 votes,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer dismissed polls showing former President Trump five points behind Vice President Kamala Harris, saying it's “simply not true.” (Getty Images)
The governor was asked what makes Michigan such a key swing state.
“One of Michigan's great advantages and one of its challenges is that we are the most diverse swing state in the country,” Whitmer said. “Michigan benefited from the auto industry and attracted people from the South, from the Middle East; people who came from all over the world looking for a job at Ford Motor Company or General Motors. And it was a guarantee for the middle class, where you could take care of your family, you could even buy a house in the North because you were getting a salary that could support a family and a good quality of life.”
He added: “That's how our population has grown over the years. And that's part of who we are. We're a microcosm of the country.”
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“I think in my lifetime, we've had huge swings in Michigan. We've had 12 years of Republican governor, and then we have term limits, which is eight years of Democrat, then eight years of Republican, then eight years of Democrat. So it's a state that's notoriously independent. We're very divided on our ticket. And that's who we are in Michigan,” Whitmer continued.
“And I think that's a great strength. I think it's important to have a robust dialogue and different points of view. And I think that over the years that's served us well. I think right now, with all the different pressures that are coming out in our political rhetoric and with social media and so on, it's a lot harder to find that common ground. And that's something that concerns me,” the governor added.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appears at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 5, 2024. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
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Trump has a history of outperforming in polls on Election Day.
In 2020, the RealClearPolitics polling average in Michigan showed President Biden leading Trump by more than four points, but he ended up winning by less than three. Similarly, in 2016, the RealClearPolitics polling average showed Clinton leading Trump by nearly four points in Michigan. Trump ended up winning by 0.3 points.
