State Politics
Michigan's U.S. Senate Race

Michigan has come a long way since the days Americans bought a new, full-sized car every two years. Once a booming state committed to big business and big labor, it is now fair game for Democrats and Republicans alike and an important battleground in this year's presidential race.

Before the oil crisis of 1973, Michigan was a thriving model of active unions and politics. From World War II on, the auto industry attracted workers from southern Canada, the farms of the Midwest, and blacks and whites from all across the south. Immigrants poured in from Poland, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Greece and around the world.

As the United Auto Workers union grew, labor became a powerful force in business and politics. At its peak, membership in Michigan reached 1.5 million in the early to mid 1960s. The state government also operated on a large scale, building prestigious state universities and public park system.

In 1973, with the oil crisis, and then in 1979 when the national economy slumped, the boom town of Detroit and the Big Three automakers - Chrysler, Ford and General Motors - lost their luster. Americans found Japanese cars to be better made and a better buy. Foreign cars were more efficient and gas prices were unpredictable. Between 1978 and 1982, the auto industry lost nearly 150,000 jobs.

In the years since, Michigan has made the transition from an industrial-based economy to a technology-driven economy. It has down-sized its industry and government and diversified its economy. Instead of relying on a few large companies, Michigan has encouraged smaller, highly-skilled manufacturing.

While auto manufacturers remain Michigan's largest companies, high-tech employment has made Michigan the fourth largest employer in the field, according to one University of Michigan study. Information systems giant Compuware is locating its new 6,500-employee headquarters in downtown Detroit, helping to revitalize this once-thriving area.

Michigan remains the hub of car and truck manufacturing, and GM contributed to the recent downtown renaissance by building a new $450-million assembly plant in Lansing, the first auto plant to be built in the state since 1982. Nearly half of the nation's office furniture production is located in western Michigan, and agriculture remains an important part of the economy. The unemployment rate in September was 3.7 percent, below the national average for nearly five years.

In 1998, Michigan's population grew 5.6 percent from 1990 to 1998, reaching 9.8 million. While 7.3 million of those people are of voting age, a recent poll published by the Detroit Free Press showed that 75 percent of seniors in Michigan say they plan to vote, compared to only 13 percent of residents ages 18 to 24. Most Michigan candidates have capitalized on this disparity and focused their campaigns on issues important to seniors, like Medicare and Social Security.

Race appears to matter in voting trends too. Approximately 83.5 percent of Michigan's population is white, while 13.9 percent are black and 1.1 percent Asian. According to the poll, 64 percent of voters who are white will vote, while 59 percent of black voters will cast their ballots.

Michigan voters do not register for a political party, but historically Detroit and union members voted for Democrats while the rest of the state and top-level management went to the Republicans. The division is no longer as clear. Detroit is no longer an all-blue collar town, and has more Republican voters and Democrats have a firm hold on most of the suburbs.

As the statistics might suggest, Michigan voters are almost evenly split in this year's presidential race. A recent Detroit News poll found the top candidates in a statistical dead heat, with George Bush getting 43 percent of Michigan votes, Al Gore with 42 percent, Ralph Nader at 2 percent and 12 percent of voters undecided. The poll had a margin of error of 4 points.