Why Michigan is so important – and why Harris and Trump are there

With about 8.4 million registered voters and 15 electoral college votes of the 270 needed to win, Michigan is one of seven competitive states that will decide the election.

For Kamala Harris, it’s part of the so-called “Blue Wall”, which is considered the Democrats’ best chance of winning, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Donald Trump is battling Ms Harris for voters in Michigan, including a large Arab American and Muslim population, many of whom are concerned about Israel’s war in Gaza.

The state is also home to union workers worried about how electric vehicles could reshape the country’s auto industry, which is headquartered in the state’s largest city, Detroit.

While Ms Harris is narrowly leading Trump nationally by 46% to 43% – according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll – in Michigan, Ms Harris’s lead is even more slender – 47.6% to 47.1% – according to opinion poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight.

Democratic President Joe Biden won the state by 150,000 votes in the 2020 election against Mr Trump, which is a margin of less than 3%, while Mr Trump won by 11,000 votes in 2016.

Where the key players are today

Kamala Harris

The Democratic candidate is in the southern Michigan city of Kalamazoo, where she’s expected to focus on the contrast between herself and Republican rival Donald Trump on abortion rights, taxes, unions and tariffs.

She’ll be appearing alongside Michelle Obama, the former first lady.