Trump’s final Michigan rally hints at shifting demographicspublished at 18:09 Greenwich Mean Time 4 November
Ione Wells
Reporting from Michigan
Donald Trump's final rally, happening tonight in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be situated within Kent County.
This area, once a Republican stronghold, flipped to Joe Biden in 2020, largely because of its increasingly diverse, college-educated and urban population leaning towards the Democrats’ policies.
Trump is struggling in areas like this, which have moved away from the Republicans due to some of his rhetoric and socially conservative values.
On the flipside, he's made gains in places like Michigan among - for example - some unionised white, working class voters who used to vote Democrat but now resonate with his economic policies and pledges on immigration.
One Trump supporter told me that the Republicans in Michigan used to be the party of the wealthy "country clubs", but that has been "reimagined".
No group should be viewed as homogenous, but these shifting demographic trends make the race so close to call, meaning neither candidate can solely rely on their core "base" here.