Trump’s Ground Game In Michigan Slammed By GOP Critics

Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party are suing the state of Michigan to prevent local Veterans Affairs offices and other federal outposts from offering voter registration, Steve Contorno and Fredreka Schouten reported for CNN.

Former president Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance at a rally in Michigan. I Photo: Donald J. Trump Facebook

The approach marks a stark contrast to how Trump won the Grand Rapids metro area and other battlegrounds eight years ago, when voter outreach efforts were coordinated by the Republican Party and organized out of regional field offices.

Many GOP strategists say they see little evidence of the political apparatus the Trump campaign claims is in motion.

Much emphasis has been placed on engaging people who are disengaged from politics and on appeasing Trump’s fixation with relitigating the 2020 election.

“It’s political malpractice,” said Dennis Lennox, a veteran Republican operative in Michigan. “It’s a Hail Mary.”

Trump’s campaign believes the approach reflects the candidate they are trying to push across the finish line in a narrow race against Vice President Kamala Harris—one whose celebrity and brash style grant him unique appeal among those who don’t often vote but whose first term in the White House turned off many swing voters whom candidates traditionally fight for.

That work is taking place in parts of the country the Trump campaign never set foot in four years ago, according to Trump’s political director, James Blair.

This year, work is being done in less populated central Michigan and in Detroit, where the campaign says it is making a coordinated push for Black men. Blair said voters who turned against Trump won’t change their minds simply because someone knocks on their door.