GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For decades in politics, Democratic candidates have relied on the so-called Blue Wall to pick up electoral votes in presidential contests. It was a stronghold for years, until 2016.
The Blue Wall consists of 18 states clustered in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, West Coast and Midwestern regions, including Michigan. Barack Obama won every single Blue Wall state in 2008 and 2012, propelling him to victory with over 300 electoral votes. In 2016, lackluster turnout from Democrats and a fresh new candidacy in the Trump campaign flipped Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in a sweep of traditionally Democratic states that hadn’t been seen in a generation.
“The so-called Blue Wall is critical to Democratic candidates,” said David Rutledge, a political science professor with Central Michigan University. “[Trump] needs, absolutely, to win those states again.”
FOX17 breaks down what Trump will need to do to repeat his success in the Midwest, and what might hold him back.
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