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Why Michigan is so important for the Presidential election

Posted at 6:14 PM, Nov 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-07 19:26:57-05

Michigan is in the path to victory for either Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the final day before the election.

Michigan has not voted Republican in a Presidential Election since 1988 when George Herbert Walker Bush won the state. 

In the last week, tracking polls show Clinton lost her lead from 11 to 4 percentage points. Clinton has lost support among women and in the three Metro Detroit counties. 

"Republicans smell blood," says WXYZ Channel 7 Editorial Director Chuck Stokes.

That makes African American voters very important. Former President Bill Clinton has been working with church leaders to get out the vote. The question is, will they turn out like they did for Barak Obama in 2008 and 2012? 

If black voters do not turn out in large numbers, that makes Macomb County a key for Trump. That's why he held a rally in Sterling Heights on Sunday night. Trump will also give his final speech in Grand Rapids Monday night.

Other states important to both candidates are Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. 

Michigan has 7.4 million registered voters and 16 Electoral College votes. 270 Electoral College votes are needed to be elected President of the United States.