Michigan Dem worried about party divide on Israel and that Trump could win the state

Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell is underscoring that her home state is “purple” ahead of the 2024 election and took note of voter concerns about the War in Israel.

“Michigan’s a purple state. I can’t always convince people of that,” Dingell told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I was right back in 2015 and 2016.”

Trump won the Great Lake State in 2016 but lost it to Biden 47.84% to 50.62% in 2020. Democrats retain control of both the governor’s office and the legislature.

“We’ve really got to talk about the economy — the jobs that have been created, the kind of investments that are going in and show what’s been done. We have to show and remind them of the actions,” she added.

Trump currently has a 4.8 percentage point edge over Biden in Michigan, per the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.

Generally regarded as one of the top seven battleground states, Michigan touts 16 electors in the Electoral College, which Trump lost to Biden 232 to 306.

Dingell also said the ongoing war in Israel is weakening Biden’s prospects in Michigan, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in the country.

“They are hurting. All of us in this country need to understand what’s happening in Gaza right now,” she stressed.

“I can’t tell you the number of families that I’ve spoken to who’ve lost entire families — entire families. We’ve got to show some empathy and compassion.”

The Michigan Democrat emphasized her support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, who have been at war since the terror group’s bloody Oct. 7 surprise attack.

Biden had largely been a stalwart supporter of Israel in the public eye during the early stages of the war. Behind the scenes, he’s pushed for more protections for civilians in the crossfire.

Recently, he has begun to shift his tone a little and more forcefully urge Israel to minimize civilian casualties.

“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,” Biden told reporters last week.

Dingell, the wife of the late Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) also defended Biden over the GOP impeachment inquiry that has centered on his family’s alleged influence-peddling schemes.

“I’ve talked to numerous Republicans who have publicly and quietly said, ‘there’s no there there.’ They can’t find anything,” she said.

Her comments came shortly after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told the program that, “if there were a smoking gun I think we’d be talking about it.”

She also appeared to back first son Hunter Biden’s decision to defy a subpoena for testimony this week.

“I think he’s got a right to say, ‘I’ll do this. Be transparent. Make it open.’ Because I think too many people are coming out of this and implying things that aren’t true. And I think all of us have a right to know what the truth is,” she said.

Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly but refused to sit for a closed-door deposition as Republicans had sought.

Now Republicans are mulling whether to hold him in contempt of Congress, which would refer the matter to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.

At one point in the interview, Dingell also revealed that she is not a fan of illegal immigration.

“We don’t want illegals. We don’t want other people coming in. We don’t want drugs coming across our border. We need a balanced, comprehensive immigration policy,” she said.