Bernie Sanders in Michigan MAGA-land: Dems, GOP seek votes in unfamiliar areas

US Sen. Bernie Sanders stumped for Democratic Senate candidate in Alpena ahead of the Nov. 3 election
Democrats are seeking to narrow the margins in traditional GOP areas Up North
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, meanwhile, has been courting Jewish Democrats and Detroiters

ALPENA — Marion Hautea has lived in Alpena since 1997 and said he’d never had the chance to see a political rally before Monday, when US Sen. Bernie Sanders came to town.

“The political picture in Alpena is on the red side,” Hautea said. “I think it’s a great way for people on the blue side to really partake in the experience. To open up the doors for everybody to have a discussion, that’s actually the best way.”

Sanders, a Democratic socialist, was in Alpena to support Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Sanders drew roughly 700 people in a county that Republican President Donald Trump won by nearly 29 percentage points two years ago.

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The visit was the latest attempt by El-Sayed and his allies to eat into a decided GOP advantage in northern Michigan. The goal isn’t to flip the margin but narrow it, and in statewide races often decided by 100,000 or less, experts say that could make a difference.

Republican US Senate nominee Mike Rogers is working to narrow the margins with traditional Democratic constituencies, too. He’s made a concerted effort to court Jewish voters and Detroiters who had backed El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Haley Stevens.

The Alpena crowd for Sanders was larger than expected — organizers had to bring in additional chairs and remove a room divider. The former presidential candidate touted El-Sayed, bashed Trump, railed against income inequality, America’s healthcare system and more.

Michigan Republican Party senior communications adviser Greg Manz responded to Sanders’ visit to the state by arguing the progressive policies that Sanders and El-Sayed support are “direct threats to Michiganders’ livelihoods.”

Rogers and GOP gubernatorial nominee John James have also campaigned in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, but Democrats see an opportunity to peel away GOP support amid Trump’s sagging approval ratings, high prices and the war in Iran.

Democrat Callie Barr recently outraised incumbent US Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, who beat her by more than 20 points two years ago in northern Michigan’s 1st Congressional District.

‘Michigan first’

El-Sayed, in particular, hopes to capitalize on national headwinds by adopting what some observers told Bridge is a Trump-like strategy: create political realignment by appealing directly to voters who feel disillusioned by their government.

He’s adopted Trump’s “America First” slogan, is running a new “Michigan first” campaign ad on Fox News and drew big crowds in a recent swing through the UP and rural Michigan.

Candidates are fighting for non-college-educated white voters, an essential part of Trump’s winning Michigan coalitions, Michigan pollster Richard Czuba recently told Bridge.

“On the Republican side, it is essential to their coalition if they want to win,” Czuba said. “If El-Sayed starts picking off non-college voters, this is a really bad sign for Republicans.”

In a Friday interview with Bridge, Sanders said the northern Michigan stop was a means to connect with voters often overlooked by campaigns.

With costs as high as they are, Sanders said Michigan residents are more aware of the gap between their finances and the ultrawealthy than ever before, adding that it’s important to hear them out.

“What we have found is that many rural communities often don’t get the attention that they deserve,” Sanders said.

Reaching out

“I thought it was very Bernie Sanders to come to a northern, small community,” Diane O’Connor, an activist with the Alpena County Democratic Party, said after his roughly hour-long talk.

“I think he has always tried to reach out to everyone.”

O’Connor said the crowd size impressed her but didn’t surprise her, and she thinks the visit will help Democrats in next week’s election.

“This area has traditionally been very conservative for many, many years, and so it’s nice to see how many people showed today to support a different point of view in our politics,” said Alpena’s Christie Rasche. “That makes me feel good.”

Sanders’ latest Michigan swing, which also included planned stops in more liberal cities like Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, came after he and other members of Congress committed more than $1.3 million to El-Sayed’s campaign in the final days of the election cycle.

It’s an effort to counter the barrage of attack ads against El-Sayed, who had been “heavily outspent” by outside groups, Sanders told Bridge.

“Abdul is taking on everybody,” he said. “We’re never going to have as much money as the billionaires and their super PACs, but I think we’ve got to do our best to make sure that Abdul has a fighting chance to win this election.”