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RNC Chair McDaniel, DNC Chair Perez talk about the presidential race for Michigan

Updated  May 13, 2020 9:58pm EDT
Politics
FOX 2 Detroit

FOX 2 - The road to the White House will go through Michigan - the state is critical for both parties to win for the 2020 presidential election.

Michigan's Ronna Romney McDaniel is the chair of the Republican National Committee. She joined FOX 2 exclusively to talk about the presidential race. Look below for DNC Chair Tom Perez's 1-on-1 interview with Roop Raj.

GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel talks presidential race in Michigan

Michigan's Ronna Romney McDaniel is the chair of the Republican National Committee. She joins us to talk about Gov Gretchen Whitmer and Joe Biden's lead in the state according to a FOX News poll.


FOX 2: "A recent Fox News poll has Biden with an eight percent lead in Michigan." 

McDaniel: "Biden has not been out there yet. He’s kind of been in his basement and he really hasn’t had vetting or any pushback as a nominee for the Democrats so we will see that even out as the campaign goes forward. I do want to say, I think it’s sad to see so much criticism during a time of crisis. There should be a time where we should be saying how do we work together? I want The president to be successful the same way I want governor Whitmer to be successful." 

FOX 2: "President Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes in November. Even as the jobless numbers rise because of the coronavirus, McDaniel is hopeful for Trump to lock in Michigan.  McDaniel chooses to live in Metro Detroit and travels to Washington. So the President leans heavily on her knowledge of the state." 

McDaniel: "Something about our state resonated with him and he continues to do so. He is always asking me, how am I doing, he loves our state so much. So it’s exciting that we have already invested a lot of stuff on the ground."

She added the target for the Republican Party in Michigan, is not just hitting the conservative base but others who have not voted red in the past. 

DNC Chair Tom Perez, left, RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel

FOX 2: "The relationship between the president and Gov. Whitmer has been intense." 

McDaniel: "It has been intense and the president is going to listen to Governor Whitmer. She has been critical. She is auditioning for VP and we all know this and it has been tense. But he’s never going to penalize the people of Michigan Because he doesn’t have a great relationship with the governor. In fact, they’ve had good calls." 

Tom Perez is the head of the Democratic National Committee also spoke exclusively to Fox 2 News as he rallies his party around Joe Biden. 

"This election is about trust. Who can you trust to preserve your health care, who can you trust to dig us out of this economic ditch that this president has found us in and who can you trust to keep their promises?" he said.

DNC Chair Tom Perez talks about Biden, pandemic and Whitmer

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez joined Roop Raj 1-on-1.

"Joe Biden is a known commodity in Michigan. Barack Obama and Joe Biden saved the auto industry and Michiganders will remember that. Joe Biden wants to ensure that Michiganders have access to opportunity, this election will be about common decency. This election will be about who can lift this nation out of the worst economic trouble since the Great Depression."

FOX 2: "There are people who are concerned about Joe Biden’s age. What do you tell them?"

Perez: "I tell them look at the energy that he displays every single day, look at what he has done. By the way, both of these candidates are in their 70s. The issue is not someone’s age; the issue is someone’s character. What can they do for you? And the best demonstration of what they will do for you in the future, is what they have done for you in the past. 

"Joe Biden has been a steady hand, someone who has fought for the right to form a union, someone who has fought for healthcare for all. It’s someone who understands that we have to leave around the world he has the respect of global leaders."

The DNC chair also gave Governor Gretchen Whitmer glowing reviews for her handling of the pandemic in Michigan. Whitmer is currently being considered for a VP pick by Biden.

Perez: "Let me be very clear, Gretchen Whitmer is a star in the Democratic Party. Her leadership and handling this pandemic has been spectacular and she is looking out for every day Michiganders. I am so impressed with her leadership it was an honor to help her work toward that election. She is everything we expected and then some."