Some Michigan voters who twice chose Barack Obama for president said they became supporters of Donald Trump because of concerns about the economy, auto industry, and national security.
Raymond Wynn, 39, an auto mechanic for General Motors who voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, told NBC News on Tuesday he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and again Tuesday for Michigan's Republican presidential primary, because of the economy and "how our industries are doing."
"Specifically, I work for the auto industry," Wynn said, "so foreign trades with metal and goods and services, that was, like, my biggest thing."
Deborah Gates told NBC News the reason she went from Obama to Trump was "the economy and just security of our country just overall." Like Wynn, she also cast her primary ballot for Trump.
Gates said, "the open border" and "the cost of living" were factors in her decision to swing from Obama to Trump.
Wynn and Gates said they have greater faith in Trump than President Joe Biden on the economy, which reflects the views of voters in nationwide polls. In a Marquette Law School poll released Feb. 22, Trump held a lead of 20 percentage points (52%-32%) when voters were asked who would manage the economy better. In an NBC poll released earlier this month, Trump had a 22-point (55%-33%) lead over Biden on the same issue.
Michigan is seen as a key battleground state in Trump's pursuit for another term in the White House. The former president won the state in 2016 by 10,704 votes against Hillary Clinton but lost it by 154,188 to Biden in 2020.