Bret Baier goes one-on-one with Michigan midterm voters

[0:02] The Justice Department is seeking to preemptively block Alaska from certifying the results of its [0:08] Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses by a narrow margin to another [0:14] candidate named Dan J. Sullivan Jr. The department says voters could be confused because of the [0:20] similarity. President Trump told reporters today that he was the one to authorize a preemptive [0:26] lawsuit. Speaking of the president, the president sounding optimistic as he blitzes across red [0:31] states with just a week and a half to go until the midterm elections. Today, he was in Fort [0:36] Myers, Florida this afternoon. Eleven days from now, the people of Florida are going to elect [0:42] Byron Donalds as your next governor. And we're going to elect Ashley Moody to the United States [0:51] Senate. And we're going to defeat the radical left Democrats all across the country. And [1:00] we're going to win a Republican House and a Republican Senate and do things like you wouldn't [1:06] believe. President says he's seeing the greatest spirit right now of any midterm campaign he can [1:14] remember. And speaking of campaigns, let's hear from Michigan voters. I talked to several of them [1:20] today. It is our democracy and we aim to protect it. A close race in Michigan. Let's be the work belt [1:29] of the Midwest again. Has voters considering who will best address the issues crucial to them? We can't [1:36] afford El Saeed in leadership. Marcus Bowman is on the Housing Commission in Pontiac, Michigan. [1:42] He's running for the nonpartisan school board there. What's driving you this election issue wise? [1:48] Education. I think education is the prime essence of what we need to build on because we've dropped [1:55] in Michigan over the past eight years to the bottom of the rankings. And I feel if we can improve our [2:01] educations, we can salvage our future to make it more sustainable for the children that are coming [2:06] versus the ones that are leaving. Bowman believes Mike Rogers is the best choice for Michigan's Senate [2:12] seat. And he says the Rogers campaign is making headway in the black community. So you're voting [2:17] for Mike Rogers? Of course I'm voting for Mike Rogers. Yeah. He and his campaign have spent a lot [2:23] of time in Detroit, in black communities, probably in Pontiac. Is that paying off? I think it is. [2:31] Whether you're independent, Democrat, Republican, he's talking to everybody. And you see that movement [2:36] like Democrats who are supporting? Oh my goodness. Yes. I see it strong because a lot of Democrats just [2:41] don't want to go backwards. They want to move forwards. And Michigan has been declining and declining. [2:48] I think it's going to be a one point race either way. [2:50] Ken Harb says he has traditionally voted Republican. You're a Palestinian Christian [2:56] from that community, which is fairly big as far as other states. Michigan is. Right. [3:03] How much does that factor into your vote? Well, obviously it does. Right. But that's not my [3:11] primary consideration. What's the biggest issue for you? Look, I'm a small government, [3:18] anti-war, liberty-minded, conservative. Right. So that is what I care about most. [3:26] And you voted for Democrats and Republicans? No, I voted for Republicans my entire adult life. [3:32] Only Republicans? Only Republicans. Wow. [3:35] So going back to Gerald Ford. In Michigan's midterm elections, [3:39] Harb is voting a split party ticket for Republican gubernatorial nominee, [3:44] John James, and Democratic Senate nominee, El Sayed. I mean, really, the war, it sounds, [3:50] is a big issue for you. It is. It is. When that happened, when Donald Trump initiated a war of [3:56] choice, to me, you know, I told my friends that Democrats are going to win. Donald Trump's going [4:05] to lose the midterms. The economy is kind of the driver in your circles? [4:09] A hundred percent. The economy is the driver. Two years ago, we spoke with Michigan manufacturer, [4:15] Jeff Simic. We're also concerned about growing manufacturing and making sure we have the ability [4:22] to compete globally. Two years ago, we spoke and you were concerned about workers gap in manufacturing [4:30] and manufacturing overall here in Michigan. Has that improved? Has it changed for you? [4:35] Yeah, no, absolutely. With the one big beautiful bill and the tax provisions that were put into [4:41] play for business, it's creating certainty for us. And so a lot of investment is happening [4:48] in infrastructure, equipment and, you know, buildings. And so that's important, obviously, [4:54] and that creates jobs here in the state. And it's real. I mean, it's real. And it's happening [4:57] across the state of Michigan. Simic believes Mike Rogers and John James are the best candidates [5:02] to support Michigan manufacturing and the defense industrial base. [5:06] So the issue that drives you for this election, was it like the last time, the economy and kind [5:11] of that stimulating? You know, so Michigan's broadly dominant with the automotive industry, [5:17] all of our manufacturing is. And with the automotive industry not coming back like it used to be, [5:23] you know, we have capacity to do more. And we have capacity to do more in defense and aerospace. [5:28] What do you think gets you to the decision-making time when you fill out that absentee ballot? [5:35] I think as I fill in the rest of the ballot, I'll probably get to the top. And then [5:39] it may be just, like they say, a game-time decision to figure out what to do. [5:44] Andy Polson was undecided when we spoke to him in 2024. [5:48] I'm looking a little bit Democratic this time. Why is that? What's driving you? [5:52] Mostly just the condition of the country right now. I think we're more divided. We're more against each [5:58] other. There's more arguments going on. The tariffs mean a lot here. [6:01] The tariffs mean a lot here. And, you know, the threats from Ontario about shutting off power and [6:05] everything, that impacts us in Michigan directly. And so I just, the battle that's gone on with [6:11] that, I just don't think it was right. I don't think it was handled properly. [6:13] And that leads you to El Sayed? It doesn't lead me to him. It leads me away from [6:18] Rogers. Rogers. [6:19] Polson already has a split-ticket ballot in mind this time around, voting for Republican [6:24] John James for governor and Democrat Jeremy Maas for Michigan's 11th congressional district. [6:30] So, Alyssa Slotkin is one kind of Democrat. El Sayed is a different kind of Democrat. [6:34] Completely different. [6:35] Completely different. [6:35] And that's interesting to get your vote. [6:38] Yeah, it is. And it's, like I say, it's a struggle. You really have to think about it a [6:43] little bit. There's a lot of friends that are very, they're going Rogers that have probably [6:45] never voted Republican in their life. [6:47] So, let me ask you, this election, what's driving you? [6:49] On the business front, I get up every day and I think about how do we protect and grow our auto [6:54] industry in Michigan and our country. That's what drives me. [6:57] Glenn Stevens Jr. has spent 30 years working in Michigan's auto industry [7:01] and wants a candidate who focuses on his important issues. [7:05] Do you like split government? [7:07] If it works together. [7:08] Yeah. [7:09] And we've done that in our past. You go back decades. If you look at [7:12] the Marshall Plan, the Civil Rights Act, different things like, [7:15] we got work done across the aisle. This country has to get back to that. That's what I'm looking [7:20] for in the people that lead and govern. [7:22] Detroit is the largest U.S. city along the country's border with Canada, [7:26] making trade a key issue here in this state. [7:29] I mean, you just look across the river, it's right there. [7:31] They're our friends and neighbors. We've been doing business together. [7:34] We've been trading together for centuries. But in the auto industry, we've been doing business [7:38] together for 125 plus years. [7:40] Stevens has been meeting with automotive stakeholders across Michigan, [7:44] and we'll work to advance some of the industry's goals alongside some of the officials he helps [7:49] elect. On the Senate seat, the Rogers-El Sayed seat, and they are two different views [7:55] about how things go. [7:56] And that's hard to cut through right now. From my standpoint, my family's standpoint, [8:01] and from the business side, who's good for business, who's good for education, [8:05] who's for an affordable economy where people can build a life and start a business and run a business. [8:10] That's important. From now to election day, you're going to make that call. [8:13] I'm going to make that call. But right now, you can't make it. [8:16] Not on all elections, no. I'll make some decisions on that day.