Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., told Newsmax on Friday that he's seeing energy on the ground in Michigan for former President Donald Trump and voters in his home state are going to be "voting with their pocketbook" in mind.
During an appearance on "Wake Up America," Bergman said the GOP in Michigan is telling everybody to "vote early and bring your friends to vote."
"We're going to need every vote in Michigan and it all looks good so far, but we're not counting our chickens yet," Bergman said.
The Republican congressman acknowledged that it's a tight presidential race in the Great Lakes State, but said that it feels like economic issues are top of mind for voters.
"It feels like the voters are … they're voting with their pocketbook, let's put it that way," Bergman said. "Talking to a couple of folks, one grandmother told me, 'Yeah, you know, I can't afford to buy Halloween candy for my grandkids.' And that's sad."
Trump has focused heavily on the battleground state of Michigan in the run-up to the 2024 election and Bergman said he felt positive energy at the former president's rally in Saginaw, Michigan, on Thursday.
"Number one, yesterday was a beautiful day in Saginaw, Michigan," he said. "So, the people lining the streets didn't have to deal with sometimes the challenging weather. But the banners, the flags, the waving, three generations standing along the side of the roadway as the president's motorcade came along. And then translate that energy inside the arena there at Saginaw Valley. Perfect size arena so that everybody that came — and the place, it was set up so that everybody had a good seat, it was packed — but it was just energy in it, positive. We worked the crowd before and after the president spoke, but especially beforehand, and they're excited."
"It kind of reminds me of back in 2016, when it was the first time I ran for Congress, and I was a new guy at the time," Bergman continued. "But the president gave a good message, he stayed on it. Right towards the end, his teleprompter went out and he says, 'Hey, my teleprompter went out, so you got me now kind of like raw.' But it was good, it was engaging."
He said Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democrat presidential nominee, would not have handled a similar situation with the same aplomb.
"There'd probably be a very nervous laugh, which we know, and that smile that says, well, now what do I do?" Bergman said. "Because so much of her lack of experience in life means she's in unfamiliar ground. And when you think about leadership … if you don't project a command presence as that governor or that president, people are not going to have confidence in you, nor are the other nations in the world going to respect you."
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