Michigan State University

President Trump is set to hold a rally Sunday in Port Huron, Michigan, ahead of the Nov. 3 election, with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers' attendance uncertain. The visit comes as Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a closely watched race that could decide Senate control, a rematch dynamic after Rogers' narrow 2024 loss to Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Political scientists say the rally could mobilize GOP turnout but also hand Democrats material tying Republicans to an unpopular president. A day earlier, Barack Obama rallies in Detroit alongside El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson, who faces Republican Rep. John James. Republican ads have largely avoided mentioning Trump, while Democratic ads increasingly invoke him.

Four candidates are competing for three of the seven seats on the Ann Arbor District Library's governing board in the Nov. 3 election, with the future of a planned downtown library featuring housing above it emerging as the central issue.

Incumbent Cassie Haynes is running as part of a slate with Rachel Goldberg and Gaurav Kulkarni, backed by the Washtenaw County Democratic Party, the Ann Arbor Education Association, and current board members. The fourth candidate, Zach Buck, is endorsed by Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi, Ypsilanti District Library board president Kristy Cooper, and others. All four responded to a nonpartisan Vote411.org voter guide produced with the League of Women Voters, addressing their qualifications, priorities, and views on library funding and mission.

Candidates diverged on how aggressively to pursue mixed-income housing atop a new downtown branch, with Buck cautioning against financial risk and "mission drift" while Haynes, Goldberg, and Kulkarni supported the housing plan as a way to address the city's housing shortage. All candidates cited protecting intellectual freedom against censorship efforts as a major challenge facing libraries nationally.

Michigan's Aug. 4 Democratic U.S. Senate primary polling missed by double digits, with pollster Adam Carlson's survey showing Abdul El-Sayed ahead of Haley Stevens by 19 points before El-Sayed won by roughly 1 point. Carlson and MSU pollster Matt Grossmann attribute the error largely to "differential nonresponse" — El-Sayed's supporters were far more likely to answer surveys than Stevens' supporters, even though demographic targets for age, gender, and region were hit accurately. Both note primary polling historically underperforms since voters lack the partisan cues available in general elections, and Michigan's lack of party registration adds further turnout uncertainty.

Looking to November, both analysts expect more reliable polling since partisanship strongly predicts general-election voting and Trump won't be on the ballot, though Trump's supporters' reluctance to answer surveys has been a separate complicating factor. Michigan's current Senate polls are mixed, with some showing Republican Mike Rogers ahead of El-Sayed and others showing El-Sayed leading. Both experts caution that polls indicate direction, not precise margins, and urge relying on averages rather than single surveys.