Former governor on what it will take to win Michigan in November

CHICAGO (NEXSTAR) — Michigan is a key state on the path to the presidency. So what will it take to win it?

Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor and now the U.S. energy secretary, highlighted two issues that voters in the state are thinking about: the economy and the conflict in Gaza.

Both campaigns hope that securing the combination of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania will secure them the White House. A recent poll from the Cook Political Report Swing State Project showed a tight race in Michigan: Vice President Kamala Harris had a 3-point lead over former President Donald Trump, a statistical tie considering the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.

Speaking to Nexstar at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, Granholm said an important issue for Michigan voters is Israel’s military action in Gaza. No other state has a larger Arab American percentage of its population.

“I think (Harris) has been very strong about making sure a) we bring the hostages home, b) that there’s a cease-fire and c) that there is a path to a two-state solution for a permanent resolution of this, so that Israel is secure and Palestine has its own home,” Granholm said.

She said the Monday announcement that Israel has agreed to cease-fire terms , putting the onus on Hamas to do the same, is good news.

“We’re all hopeful that that that is the path to bringing an end to the conflict,” she said.

She said Harris will have to “build on” the cease-fire, should it prove successful, to push forward a two-state solution and thereby encourage the important Arab-American voting bloc to go to the polls on Nov. 5.

“Obviously, bringing in our allies that we have in the Middle East is going to be very important,” Granholm said. “We’re at that place now. (President Joe Biden) has built those relationships to be able to set up that foundation for her to be able to lead.”

She pointed to the loss of manufacturing jobs as another important issue in Michigan. She was governor during the 2008 recession and when General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protections the following year.

“We saw so many factories leaving and towns that just sidewalks rolled up and people feeling like their sense of place was ripped out through no fault of their own because of the loss of these factories,” Granholm recalled.

She praised the Biden administration for policies — specifically citing the Inflation Reduction Act — that have led to job creation and the economic plan Harris rolled out last week for focusing on “micro-economies” that affect people’s day-to-day lives.

“It’s one thing to talk about the low unemployment rate nationally, but what are people feeling at home? And she rolled out a series of policies that get at that,” Granholm said. “So having both pieces … is I think something that she’s going to build on. And I think (vice presidential pick Minnesota Gov. Tim) Walz and Harris, together, are very powerful messengers for people to be able to understand and hear and appreciate that.”

The DNC runs through Thursday.

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