Trump to visit Macomb County on Oct. 1 for rally appearance with Dixon, DePerno, Karamo
Dave Boucher
Former President Donald Trump will return to Michigan soon to rally his supporters to vote for Michigan Republicans up and down the ticket.
The visit by the former president is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 1 in Warren at the Macomb County Community College Sports & Expo Center, according to an announcement from Trump representatives.
More:How Trump-endorsed candidates fared in Michigan GOP primaries
More:Trump hammers at false claims of voter fraud in return to Michigan
He'll appear with Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno and secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo. All three were endorsed by Trump in the respective primaries, decisions that likely played a role in the three ultimately securing the nominations from the parties.
Trump also visited Macomb County earlier this year, stumping for DePerno and Karamo in an April visit. The Metro Detroit community is a huge priority for Michigan Republicans, but one where local GOP leadership is in the midst of a bit of turmoil.
In order for Republicans to win in statewide and key legislative districts this fall, they'll need huge turnout in places like Macomb County. But two separate GOP factions continue to fight over control of the local party. It's led to court proceedings and a procedural fight on the floor of the Michigan GOP convention, where one faction of party delegates successfully ousted another.
Republicans need a unified party to defeat the incumbent Democrats seeking reelection to the state's three top posts: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The Democrats have raised colossal fundraising war chests, far outstripping their Republican rivals, and polling tends to show the incumbents leading the GOP challengers. But there's still plenty of time before Election Day for Republicans to gain ground.
In theory, repeated Trump visits may lead to increased turnout this fall, as President Joe Biden remains unpopular in Michigan. In practice, it may also spur Democrats to cast ballots — Trump lost the state by more than 154,000 votes in the 2020 election, and Democrats remained energized by abortions rights, an issue Trump opposes.
The general election is Nov. 8, but absentee ballots start going out before the end of September.
Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.