ELECTORAL VOTES 17

2008 ELECTION Swing State

ABOUT
MICHIGAN

Michigan joined the Union in January 1837. The state voted primarily Republican in presidential elections until the Great Depression. From the 1930s through the 1960s, the state alternated periodically between the two parties. From 1972 through 1988 the state voted exclusively Republican, before becoming the Democratic-leaning state it is today. In 2004, John Kerry defeated George W. Bush by a slender 51% to 48% margin. Given that close result and its past history, Michigan could be in play if the right Republican candidate came along. The state has experienced significant economic turmoil since the 1970s and has seen slow population growth relative to the rest of the country. This has resulted in a loss of electoral votes, from 21 in the 1970s to 17 today. The state may see one more of those votes disappear for the 2012 election, pending the result of the 2010 census.