Michigan

Michigan became a state of the Union in January 1837. The region was previously inhabited by Native American tribes for thousands of years. In the 17th century, it became a French colony as part of New France. After the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763, Michigan became a British territory. Following the War of 1812, the land was ceded to the United States.

In terms of elections, the state leaned Republican until the Great Depression. From the 1930s to the 1960s, it began to swing between the Republicans and the Democrats. From 1972 to 1988, Michigan voted for Republican candidates, before supporting Democrats in six consecutive elections from 1992 to 2012. The state returned to Republican support in the 2016 presidential election when Donald Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton by 0.2%. Michigan turned blue again in 2020 when Biden won over Trump with a margin of 2.8%.

The state has experienced economic challenges since the 1970s, resulting in slow population growth and a decrease in electoral votes from a peak of 21 to 15 after the 2020 Census.