Michigan
Biden and Trump will face tests in Michigan's primaries that could inform a November rematch
WASHINGTON (AP) — While Joe Biden and Donald Trump are marching toward their respective presidential nominations, Michigan’s primary on Tuesday could reveal significant political perils for both of them.
Trump, despite his undoubted dominance of the Republican contests this year, is facing a bloc of stubbornly persistent GOP voters who favor his lone remaining rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and who are skeptical at best about the former president’s prospects in a rematch against Biden.
As for the incumbent president, Biden is confronting perhaps his most potent electoral obstacle yet: an energized movement of disillusioned voters upset with his handling of the war in Gaza and a relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that critics say has been too supportive.
Those dynamics will be put to the test in Michigan, the last major primary state before Super Tuesday and a critical swing state in November’s general election. Even if they post dominant victories as expected on Tuesday, both campaigns will be looking at the margins for signs of weakness in a state that went for Biden by just 3 percentage points last time.
Biden said in a local Michigan radio interview Monday that it would be “one of the five states” that would determine the winner in November.
Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, and more than 310,000 residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Nearly half of Dearborn’s roughly 110,000 residents claim Arab ancestry.
It has become the epicenter of Democratic discontent with the White House’s actions in the Israel-Hamas war, now nearly five months old, following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack and kidnapping of more than 200 hostages. Israel has bombarded much of Gaza in response, killing nearly 30,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.
Democrats angry that Biden has supported Israel’s offensive and resisted calls for a ceasefire are rallying voters on Tuesday to instead select “uncommitted.”
The “uncommitted” effort, which began in earnest just a few weeks ago, has been backed by officials such as Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, and former Rep. Andy Levin, who lost a Democratic primary two years ago after pro-Israel groups spent more than $4 million to defeat him.
Abbas Alawieh, spokesperson for the Listen to Michigan campaign that has been rallying for the “uncommitted” campaign, said the effort is a “way for us to vote for a ceasefire, a way for us to vote for peace and a way for us to vote against war.”
Trump won the state by just 11,000 votes in 2016 over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and then lost the state four years later by nearly 154,000 votes to Biden. Alawieh said the “uncommitted” effort wants to show that they have at least the number of votes that were Trump’s margin of victory in 2016, to demonstrate how influential that bloc can be.
“The situation in Gaza is top of mind for a lot of people here,” Alawieh said. “President Biden is failing to provide voters for whom the war crimes that are being inflicted by our U.S. taxpayer dollars – he’s failing to provide them with something to vote for.”
Our Revolution, the organizing group once tied to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also urged progressive voters to choose “uncommitted” on Tuesday, saying it would send a message to Biden to “change course NOW on Gaza or else risk losing Michigan to Trump in November.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a Biden backer who held several meetings and listening sessions in Michigan late last week, said he told community members that, despite his disagreements over the war, he would nonetheless support Biden because he represents a much better chance of peace in the Middle East than Trump.
“I also said that I admire those who are using their ballot in a quintessentially American way to bring about a change in policy,” Khanna said Monday, adding that Biden supporters need to proactively engage with the uncommitted voters to try and “earn back their trust.”
“The worst thing we can do is try to shame them or try to downplay their efforts,” he said.
Trump has drawn enthusiastic crowds at most of his rallies, including a Feb. 17 rally outside Detroit drawing more than 2,000 people who packed into a frigid airplane hangar.
But data from AP VoteCast, a series of surveys of Republican voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, reveals that his core voters so far are overwhelmingly white, mostly older than 50 and generally without a college degree. He will likely have to appeal to a far more diverse group of voters in November. And he has underperformed his statewide results in suburban areas that are critical in states like Michigan.
Several of Trump’s favored picks in Michigan’s 2022 midterm contests lost their campaigns, further underscoring his loss of political influence in the state. Meanwhile, the state GOP has been riven with divisions among various pro-Trump factions, potentially weakening its power at a time when Michigan Republicans are trying to lay the groundwork to defeat Biden this fall.
Both Biden and Trump have so far dominated their respective primary bids. Biden has sailed to wins in South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire, with the latter victory coming in through a write-in campaign. Trump has swept all the early state contests and his team is hoping to lock up the delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination by mid-March.
Nonetheless, an undeterred Haley has promised to continue her longshot presidential primary campaign through at least Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 states and one territory hold their nominating contests.
As Haley stumped across Michigan on Sunday and Monday, voters showing up to her events expressed enthusiasm for her in Tuesday’s primary — even though, given her losses in the year’s first four states, it seemed increasingly likely she wouldn’t win the nomination.
“She seems honorable,” said Rita Lazdins, a retired microbiologist from Grand Haven, Michigan, who in an interview Monday refused to say Trump’s name. “Honorable is not what that other person is. I hate to say that, but it’s so true.”
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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.
Michigan
How Michigan DC Jay Hill will use the secondary to power the defense
New defensive coordinator Jay Hill comes to Michigan by way of BYU, and the Cougars’ defense was a big part of their success last year. They had the No. 5 red zone defense in the country, and were in the top-10 for interceptions and defensive touchdowns.
Hill’s defense appears to run through the secondary, which is good news for the Wolverines given the experience they’re bringing back. Veterans Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry return, while senior Smith Snowden transferred over from Utah. Young players Jo’Ziah Edmond and Shamari Earls both have a shot at taking leaps forward this fall.
Then there’s the safety group. Juniors Mason Curtis and Jacob Oden, and sophomore Jordan Young, really improved in 2025. Michigan also added Memphis veteran Chris Bracy through the portal. If the Wolverines can get Rod Moore fully healthy and back on the field, that’s an even more complete unit.
Looking at highlights from BYU’s defense last season, it looks like Hill likes to vary how he uses his secondary. And when you look at Pro Football Focus (PFF), Hill had some of his secondary players at the top for rush defense, and that didn’t take away from how they graded out in coverage.
Take a look at this play from BYU cornerback Mory Bamba against Utah. He’s able to pick up a huge tackle despite starting well off the line of scrimmage. He uses his speed to pick up a huge fourth-down stop in the red zone. That’s something Hill should be able to capitalize on with his players at Michigan.
It’s not just Michigan’s short-yardage and red zone defense that has the potential to improve under Hill, it’s the takeaways, too. Last season, Jyaire Hill had several “almost” interceptions. Under Jay Hill, Jyaire Hill could live up to his potential in 2026. He, Curtis, Berry, Moore, Oden each had one interception — the unit is clearly competent when it comes to forcing turnovers. Pair that with a coordinator who focuses on that kind of play, and you’ve got a recipe for success.
Cornerback Evan Johnson led the way for the Cougars last season with five interceptions and a touchdown. A pair of those came in BYU’s game against East Carolina. He’s clearly got his eyes on the quarterback and has a sense of what he needs to make a big play for his team. While jumping a route comes with some risk, the reward is high. The Wolverines will face some of the most explosive offensive units in the Big Ten in 2026, and giving quarterbacks a reason to hesitate before throwing those passes is going to be huge.
Michigan’s secondary has the pieces to help Hill run the defense how he wants. The experience and leadership from veteran players, as well as the familiarity in the system from Snowden, can elevate the unit come the fall. I can’t wait to get an early look at the defense during the spring game on April 18.
Michigan
Our View: Michigan must stop exporting its mental health crisis
Mobile crisis units roll out to help Detroiters in mental health or substance abuse need.
Mobile crisis units roll out to help people in need with mental health or substance abuse problems in Detroit.
Michigan is sending some of its most vulnerable children hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away for mental health treatment because it has failed to build the capacity to care for them at home.
Michigan once had roughly 1,200 residential treatment beds for children. Today, there are fewer than 400.
That’s because facilities have closed, staff have left and costs have risen.
The falling apart of the system is impactful, especially given the increased amount of attention on this issue for nearly half a decade — since COVID wreaked havoc on youth and adult mental health in this state on top of what was already a social-media-induced mental health crisis among adolescents.
A growing number of children in severe mental health crisis or with complex psychological disorders are being placed in out-of-state facilities because there is nowhere for them to go in the state.
As of 2025, at least 152 Michigan youth were living in out-of-state placements — more than double the 74 in 2023, and up from 122 in 2024, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
Children suffering from severe mental health challenges typically need the support of family and friends. They don’t often require isolation from their natural support structures. Parents should be able to access and help their children who are suffering. That’s harder to do when the child is housed in another state.
The related costs for the arrangement was $13 million last year shared across state and federal funding streams.
Michigan must reinvest in its mental health system, especially for children and adolescents who were particularly affected by pandemic lockdowns and other policies.
By the time many of these kids enter the system, they are already in crisis. They are demonstrating concerning behavior, interacting with police, cycling through emergency rooms or entering the juvenile justice system. That is the most expensive, least effective point to intervene.
Rather than operating at the back end of the problem, Michigan must invest aggressively on the front end by expanding in-state residential capacity and strengthening and integrating community mental health services, so fewer children ever reach the point of needing institutional care.
Bipartisan lawmakers have pushed hundreds of millions of dollars into school safety and mental health funding. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has overseen an increase in funding mental health services and some important reforms, like the crisis hotline and a measure that allows mental health care to be covered as critically as physical health care.
But more is needed. Michigan must aggressively increase capacity and create incentives to attract and retain staff.
Instead, MDHHS is pushing a proposal that critics say would shift some patients with significant needs into categories typically handled by private insurance, blurring the lines of responsibility between Medicaid and community health programs and complicating the exhaustive bureaucracy for patients and providers.
“Hospitals and providers across the state have already warned that the framework’s training, billing and operational requirements could slow access to treatment,” the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan warned in a recent op-ed. “The impact would be a new strain on an already overextended behavioral health workforce.”
Fixing Michigan’s comprehensive mental health strategy is an urgent need that will require funding and a coordinated strategy that aligns state dollars, insurance coverage and community-based services so that care is continuous and effective.
The goal should be to build a system that assures Michigan children are treated in Michigan.
Michigan
Michigan Football Makes Top 7 For Elite Safety From California
Four-star safety from Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) Pole Moala has named his top seven schools, with the Michigan Wolverines making the cut.
Moala, according to a report from Ethan McDowell of On3’s The Wolverine, visited campus earlier in the week for a few days with his family.
The California prospect is arguably the program’s top target at safety for the class of 2027 as the Wolverines reportedly sit in a strong position ahead of his June 19 official visit.
“It was great!!” Moala said to The Wolverine about the visit to Michigan. “Couldn’t be more grateful for the entire Michigan staff for the hospitality! I can definitely see myself coming back.”
Moala also told The Wolverine that Michigan is a top two school for him as he also visited Ole Miss later in the week.
He is the No. 167 overall prospect, the No. 18 safety and the No. 12 player in the state of California in the class of 2027, according to Rivals.
Moala’s scouting report
Director of Scouting at 247 Sports, Andrew Ivins, views Moala as a potential multi-year Power Four starter with NFL upside.
Ivins full evaluation of Moala on his 247 profile reads:
-Versatile defensive back with the ideal blend of athleticism and physicality.
-Moved from the class of 2028 to the class of 2027 where he’s age appropriate after a stellar 2025 campaign.-Projects best as a free safety that can clean up mistakes, but has the hip fluidity and cover talent to potentially hang at cornerback.
-Strikes in the alley and runs his feet through contact.
-Active eyes frequently has him beating the football to the catch point.
-Commits to angles, but can get caught over-pursing.
-Likely to eventually carry 200 pounds on a frame that’s believed to be hovering right around 5-foot-11.5, 185 pounds.
-Should be viewed as a potential multi-year starter in a Power Four secondary with NFL upside given the ball production and competitive temperament.
The Wolverines have clearly made the safety position a priority during this recruiting cycle, with Darell Mattison and Maxwell Miles already committing under the watch of head coach Kyle Whittingham.
If Michigan can seal the deal with Moala, that would be another step in the right direction in helping bolster the secondary in Whittingham’s first full class as head coach of the Wolverines.
Michigan currently has five players committed in its class of 2027 up to this point.
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