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Editor’s Note: With so much heat rather than light in the media world today, Liberty Nation presents the following series on the crucial midterm elections that will be taking place. These elections will likely determine the course of the Trump presidency and as such should be looked at with in-depth analysis. Thus, each week LN author Graham Noble will be giving our readers a state-by-state look at the upcoming elections. This week, he covers House and Senate Races in Massachusetts and Michigan.

No Republican presidential candidate has managed to capture even 38% of the votes in the state of Massachusetts, in any of the past five general elections. President Donald Trump received just 32.8% of the state’s votes in 2016. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, got 60%. Trump was the first Republican since 1988 to carry the state of Michigan. He scored a narrow victory; 47.5% to Clinton’s 47.3%. This win was one of series of victories with which Trump broke through the so-called ‘blue wall,’ stunning Clinton and her supporters, who had seen victory in 2016 as a foregone conclusion. Minnesota has gone Democrat in all but three general elections stretching back to 1928. Clinton won the state, but her margin of victory was the narrowest of the past five elections. She received 46.4% of the state’s votes, to Trump’s 44.9%.

Massachusetts

One Senator from Massachusetts, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, will be running for re-election in the November midterms. The other, Edward Markey, who is also a Democrat, finishes his current term in January 2021. Warren, who is famous for her anti-capitalist, progressive views, was once seen as a potential presidential candidate. In March of this year, however, she told NBC News that she would not be running for president. The question of her unproven claims to Native American descent have plagued her for some time and may well have factored into her decision. Her re-election to the Senate seems to be in little doubt. None of the state’s nine congressional districts – all represented by Democrats – are considered competitive in November.

Michigan

Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats, represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. Peters will not face re-election until 2020 but Stabenow faces a re-election contest in November, which she is generally expected to win, although some predictions consider her district ‘leaning’ Democrat, rather than safe for the party. Stabenow is one of the most senior Senators in the minority party, is well-respected and will be able to count on firm backing from her party.

Michigan has 14 congressional districts. Nine are represented by Republicans, four by Democrats and one – the 13th district – is currently a vacant seat. This district – the poorest in the state –was represented by Democrat John Conyers, who was forced out after being hit with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. The special election to replace Conyers will be held on November 6 with both parties holding primaries on August 7. Dave Trott, a Republican representing the 11th district, will not be seeking re-election in November. The district is considered a toss-up. In this year’s midterms, Trump won the district by a margin of 4.4%. Michigan is certainly one of the states on which the Democratic Party hopes to build its blue wave and, like many other states, Michigan’s fate in November may come down to Democrat voter enthusiasm versus a strong economy. Second-term Representative Mike Bishop, a Republican, may face the toughest fight in his 8th district which voted for Trump by a margin of 6.7%.

Midterm Election Watch predicts the Democrats will hold on to Michigan’s 13th district and will pick up two additional House seats in the state.

Join us next week as our series focuses on House and Senate Races in Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri.