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Why Republicans lost big on Election Day in Michigan

By Tim Skubick
Published  November 10, 2022 10:46pm EST
2022 Midterm Election results
FOX 2 Detroit

What went wrong for Michigan Republicans on Election Day

Republicans fell to Democrats on Tuesday in Michigan, losses fueled partially by focusing too heavily on positions that did not appeal to independent voters, such as abortion.

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Michigan saw a blue wave on Election Day, with the top three GOP candidates – Tudor Dixon, Matt DePerno, and Kristina Karamo – falling to Democrats.

The candidates were so mired in what the Democrats called their extreme positions on issues that they never pivoted to appeal to independent voters.

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"They never did the pivot because they were so wrapped up in getting the nomination and taking such an extreme postilion on abortion as well as believing the big lie about the 2020 election, that they were in no position where they really couldn't appeal to independent voters," pollster Bernie Porn said.

Little did the Republicans know that when they finally got Roe v. Wade overturned at the U.S. Supreme Court that it would drive a record number of voters to the polls, with the majority voting Democrat. 

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"That's why we had the highest turnout of any midterm election," Porn said.

 Regarding the new Democratic control of the House and Senate, it was the new voting districts from the redistricting commission that gave the Democrats a shot at this for the first time in 38 years.