Joe Biden got a lot of votes from people who did not support Hillary Clinton in Michigan

Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won a close primary contest over Hillary Clinton in Michigan in 2016. Four years later, he's projected to lose to Joe Biden in the same state by double digits, which has a lot of analysts now arguing his previous victory might have been more about his opponent than him.

Biden's ability to swipe Michigan from Sanders likely hinges on a few factors — exit polls show he received major support from voters over the age of 45 (who turned out at higher rates than younger voters), as well as the state's African American voters. But he also edged Sanders among white men. The totals were close, with Biden ahead by just 3 percentage points, but it's a major turnaround considering Sanders defeated Clinton by 25 points among the demographic four years ago.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.