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Michigan Primary Look Ahead

Katherine Gypson

   WASHINGTON - In 2016, Michigan gave Sen. Bernie Sanders one of the most
   surprising primary wins in U.S. political history.

   In 2020, the self-described democratic socialist will need another
   boost from Michigan to revive his campaign to secure the Democratic
   presidential nomination over his lone remaining major rival, former
   Vice President Joe Biden.

   With 125 delegates, Michigan is the biggest prize up for grabs among
   the six states holding primaries Tuesday. Sanders signaled the
   importance of Michigan to his campaign, abandoning a planned rally in
   Mississippi to hold five campaign events in the state over the weekend,
   including one in Dearborn, where the nation's largest Muslim community
   strongly supports him.

   Dearborn was one of the areas that helped Sanders secure his 2016
   victory in the Michigan primary over eventual Democratic party nominee
   Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin of 49.8% to 48.3%. After trailing
   Clinton significantly in the polls, Sanders won by just 17,000 votes.

   Sanders aims to improve on that narrow margin of victory in 2020, even
   though in some states to date, he has struggled to turn out voters in
   the same numbers he did in 2016.A Detroit Free Press poll released
   Monday does not look promising for him. The survey of 400 Michigan
   voters shows Biden outpacing Sanders by a significant margin -- 51% to
   27%.

   "If Bernie doesn't score a big victory in Michigan, you're really
   starting to see the end of the possibility of his candidacy," said Jim
   Kessler, a senior vice president at public policy think tank Third Way,
   and former legislative director for then-Congressman Charles Schumer.

   Watch: Michigan Primary Looms as Showdown for Biden and Sanders

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