Midwest
'Massive and professional' effort boosts GOP's confidence about ground game in pivotal swing state
Republican operatives in Michigan have signaled optimism about the party’s prospects in the state despite reports the GOP’s ground game has fallen behind its Democratic rivals just weeks before the election.
“I am very optimistic about Michigan… in terms of the ground game, I’ve never seen this type of ground game in Michigan for a long time,” Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra told Fox News Digital.
The comment comes as the election enters the critical homestretch, with the state of Michigan being at the center of not only the presidential race but also control of both the House and Senate.
Polls show a razor tight race on the presidential side, with former President Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris by just one point as of Wednesday, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. According to the Fox News Power Rankings, the race remains a tossup.
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Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Calhoun Ranch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Coachella, California. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
The Senate race in the state between former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., has also tightened significantly in recent weeks, the Real Clear Politics polling average shows, with Slotkin’s lead of 5.1 points on Sept. 23 falling to just 2.7 points as of Wednesday. According to the Fox News Power rankings, the seat currently is in the “Lean Democrat” category.
Meanwhile, Michigan features two House races that are rated as “toss ups” by the Cook Political Report; the 7th Congressional District battle between former Democratic state Sen. Curtis Hertel and former Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett, and the 8th District race between Democratic state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican businessman Paul Junge.
But some have begun to question the Republican ground game in the state despite its importance to the ultimate outcome of the election, including a Politico report at the end of September that declared some within the GOP were starting to “raise alarms” about the Trump campaign’s operation.
“They are out-matching us in money, in enthusiasm and in the ground game,” one Michigan-based GOP strategist, who was granted anonymity, told the outlet.
GOP opponents in the state have made similar observations, with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Aiden Johnson noting that Republicans have outsourced much of their campaign ground work.
“Republicans’ decision to outsource their field operation to a billionaire sycophant has left them with an unmitigated disaster,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “Michigan Democrats have had dedicated organizers on the ground for over a year, actively persuading voters and mobilizing record turnout. It’s not hyperbole to say organizing wins elections.”
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Hoekstra, however, disagreed, telling Fox News Digital he sees the outside organization help as just one pillar in an overall winning strategy.
“You’ve got Trump Force 47, they’re going after a specific targeted bloc of voters. You’ve got the Musk PAC, they’re going after a different set. You’ve got county parties and the state party going after a different set of folks. And when you put it all together, I think multiple individuals are going to be contacted by multiple different groups… I think it’s a strength,” Hoekstra said.
Republican operatives working in the field echoed Hoekstra’s sentiment, telling Fox News Digital that the party’s operation in the state is better than it’s ever been, pointing to Republican efforts to turn out low-propensity voters and the robust base of volunteers behind that effort.
“They can’t see the forest through the trees,” one GOP operative, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital of some within the party who have expressed worry about the GOP operation in Michigan.
“Your typical hardline Republican is not seeing these field efforts, they’re not having people go to their door, simply because we are chasing these lower-propensity Republican voters and these swing voters that we can win over,” the source added, noting that this effort is similar for down ballot races in the state as well.
Jason Roe, a GOP strategist working with the Barrett campaign, told Fox News Digital that the cooperation between the Trump campaign, down ballot campaigns, RNC and outside organizations has been robust, something that he believes is helping drive results in the state.
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“When you look at the totality of all the organizations, we’ve got a lot more bodies out there working than we have had in a long time,” Roe said.
Roe said much of the GOP effort at this point has been “chasing absentee ballots,” arguing that doing so has allowed operatives on the ground the ability to target lower-propensity voters to get out and vote for Republican candidates.
“I think there is a more qualitative approach to how campaigns are doing it than in the past, which was more quantitative, when Election Day voting was way more important than absentee voting,” he said, adding that in the past “it was about knocking on the most doors, and now it’s very targeted on the most important doors where we can bank votes now.”
Former President Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Arena on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Another GOP source on the ground in Michigan, speaking to Fox News Digital anonymously, echoed a similar sentiment, noting the cooperation between the Rogers and Trump campaigns.
“The Rogers campaign and Trump campaign have teamed up and are crushing doors, including 40,000 on this past Saturday alone,” the source said. “It’s a massive, professional and volunteer effort and I’m not concerned about the ground at all. Democrats? Haven’t really seen them aside from press releases.”
Another GOP operative who spoke to Fox News Digital anonymously also touted the way all facets of the Republican effort have worked together, noting that Michigan “is a battleground at all levels.”
“It’s a must-win state on the presidential race, has its highly competitive Senate race, and is ground zero for House Republicans to grow their majority in Congress,” the operative said. “Republicans up and down the ballot have deployed a very robust grassroots program to get out the vote in all corners of the battleground, and we’re seeing voter enthusiasm like never before.”
Added all up, Hoekstra believes Republicans have the ground game in Michigan to win.
“People are all energized, they know what we are fighting for, and what we need to do to win,” Hoekstra said. “It is one massive effort, chasing votes.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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This week’s Thursday was a relatively crowded slate, with eleven games on the docket compared to the handful we usually see on this day. Though there was not much drama in terms of close games coming down to the wire, there were bunches of runs scored and plenty to talk about. Let’s get into it.
Today’s Headlines
Mets’ Power Bats Propel Them Past Detroit
The New York Mets completed a much-needed three game series sweep over the Detroit Tigers at home on Thursday with a 9-4 win behind a strong pitching performance from Nolan McLean (7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 K, 6 H, 3 BB) and a power explosion that saw five home runs leave the park off of Met bats. The day started off in Detroit’s favor, with newcomer Gage Workman taking McLean deep in the top of the first inning for a three-run homer to put the visiting team ahead 3-0. Rookie A.J. Ewing answered in the bottom of the third inning with a homer of his own, the first of his career, to put the Mets’ first run of the day on the board. Momentum continued to swing in the Mets favor in the bottom of the fourth, when Brett Baty smacked a two-run homer that just barely cleared the fence, tying the game at 3-3. The Mets would go up for good in the fifth after Juan Soto singled in a run to put the team up 4-3, and Mark Vientos added a two-run homer of his own before the inning ended. Soto and Marcus Semien would tack on homers before this one was through, and Citi Field was left in good spirits heading into a weekend Subway Series against the Yankees. Detroit, on the other hand, has been in a bit of a free fall since Tarik Skubal hit the IL, and will look to right the ship with a home series against Toronto.
Phillies Win a Low-Scoring Affair in Fenway
Stop me if you’ve heard this one already this week — Kyle Schwarber hit a home run in yesterday’s game, his 7th over the last seven games. Schwarber’s league-leading 18th home run helped propel the Phillies to a 3-1 win over the Red Sox, despite 5.1 scoreless innings from their former friend Ranger Suarez, who pitched quite well for Boston in this one. Jesús Luzardo was able to match Suarez, though, keeping Boston off the scoreboard over 6 scoreless innings of his own. The 0-0 deadlock wasn’t broken until the top of the 8th inning, when Kyle Schwarber got a hold of a pitch off of Boston reliever Tyler Samaniego for a 417-ft. two-run blast that put the Phillies up for good.
Philadelphia will now travel to Pittsburgh to take on their in-state rivals, while Boston has the unenviable task of traveling to Atlanta for a three-game series.
White Sox Win Fifth Straight and Move Above .500
Don’t look now, but the Chicago White Sox are above .500 for the first time this season after completing a three-game series sweep over the Kansas City Royals, extending their overall winning streak to five games. Anthony Kay (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 K, 6 H, 2 BB) improved to 3-1 on the year with a fine pitching performance, and the young bats continued to stay hot with two knocks from 2B Chase Meidroth, who improved his season average to a highly respectable .281. Chicago also got some help from veteran Randal Grichuk in this one in the form of a two-run homer, and the South Siders suddenly have reason for optimism.
By The Numbers
0 Per Elias Sports Bureau, no player in New York Mets‘ franchise history had started their big league career by recording a triple and a home run as their first two hits, prior to A.J. Ewing accomplishing the feat this week.
3 Per Elias Sports Bureau, the sweep that the Mets just finished off against the Detroit Tigers was only the third time in Mets’ franchise history that the team completed a three-game series sweep despite trailing by multiple runs in each of the three games.
19 Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Emmett Sheehan induced 19 swing and misses in yesterday’s win over the San Francisco Giants, the most of any pitcher on the day.
442 Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz drilled the most impressive long ball of the day yesterday at a massive 442 feet.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Grandson of the Wind Whips Around the Bases
I always love an inside the park homer, and this season seems to be bringing more than usual so far, partly due to some questionable defensive plays in the outfield. It’s easy to criticize from the couch, but I think even Teoscar Hernández would admit that he should have played this ball a bit better especially considering that it’s in his own home park. Either way, enjoy watching San Francisco’s Jung-Hoo Lee (nicknamed ‘Grandson of the Wind’ due to being the son of KBO legend Lee Jong-beom, who was originally ‘Son of the Wind’) fly around the bases here on his inside the park homer during the Giant’s 5-2 loss to the Dodgers yesterday.
Will Smith…The Leadoff Hitter?
With Shohei Ohtani being given a rest on the day after another masterful pitching performance, Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith got his first career start in the leadoff role last night and he did not disappoint, taking Giants starter Landen Roupp deep in his very first at-bat.
What Can’t McGonigle Do?
As the Detroit Tigers‘ phenom rookie Kevin McGonigle continues to impress at the plate and on the base-paths, don’t forget about what the kid can do with the glove. He absolutely robbed the Mets’ Bo Bichette of a base hit yesterday with one of the more impressive catches you’ll see all year.
May the Force Be With You
With teams all around the league celebrating Star Wars lately, the Mets got in on the action on Thursday with a first pitch that involved Mr. Met dressed as The Mandalorian, throwing Grogu to Mrs. Met. And that was a sentence that I never anticipated typing this season.
Baseball Has a New No. 1 Prospect
With Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin (formerly No. 1) recently graduating from the prospect list, we now have a new No. 1 ranked prospect in the game. Congratulations to Milwaukee’s Jesús Made, a freakishly athletic shortstop who has all the tools to become the game’s next superstar.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Seattle Mariners placed C Cal Raleigh on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain, which can typically linger longer than those minimum ten days.
⚾ Colorado Rockies placed RHP Jimmy Herget on the 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement) retroactive to May 13.
⚾ Lots of unknowns here still, but keep an eye on a developing story involving Los Angeles Dodgers‘ reliever Edwin Díaz, who has been linked to cockfighting events in Puerto Rico based on photos found on social media by USA Today investigative reporters.
Articles You Should Read
“George Kirby is Unrecognizable” — Nate Schwartz, Pitcher List
“You’re Probably Underrating Dylan Lee” — Ben Clemens, FanGraphs
“Buy, Sell, or Hold These Three Struggling Starters?” — Corbin Young, FanGraphs
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
Starting Pitcher Roundup
Hitter Performances
Waiver Wire Picks
Starting Pitcher Streamers
MILWAUKEE — Five teenagers were arrested on Thursday following a police pursuit that started on the 5500 block of W. Silver Spring Drive at around 10 a.m.
The teenagers were seen by the Milwaukee Police Department in a wanted vehicle that was involved in an armed robbery, and attempted to stop the vehicle.
The driver refused to stop, starting the police pursuit.
TMJ4
The pursuit ended when the suspect exited the vehicle and started to run on foot on W. Appleton Place, according to MPD.
MPD then arrested a 16-year-old female, a 16-year-old male, two 17-year-old females, and a 15-year-old male.
Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
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