Is Michigan more similar to Ohio or Wisconsin?

[King of Kensington]

Politically it's more similar to Wisconsin.  Demographically it's more similar to Ohio.  If you use emphasize geographic area, probably more like Wisconsin, but the population is concentrated in the southeast, closer to Ohio.

[Illiniwek]

Really interesting question. I think the population bases (Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids) of Michigan are more similar to Ohio's (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati). But when you look at the rest of the state it is much more like Wisconsin.

[TDAS04]

Ohio because of demographics, same reason Wisconsin is more similar to Minnesota than it is to Michigan.

[King of Kensington]

Wisconsin is 9% Polish ancestry and 8% Norwegian ancestry, illustrative of the state's "transition zone" location between the Scandinavian-settled area centered in Minnesota and the rust belt.

[DS0816]

Over a historically long term, Michigan is similar to Pennsylvania (to compare it to another large, double-digit electoral-vote state) and Connecticut. Michigan also has a connection to Minnesota. (They voted the same from 1860, Minnesota's first participating election, to 1972 with the exceptions of 1940 and 1948; those were Democratic victories in which Michigan carried for losing Republicans while Minnesota, which has carried for all winning Democrats since Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, backed the winner. Michigan and Connecticut have agreed in every election, without one exception, since 1944. And Michigan and Pennsylvania have disagreed in just five elections (since Michigan's first vote back in 1836)—three of which either state had a major-party nominee who did not carry the other state; and they both carried for Franklin Roosevelt in three of his four elections, during which they gave Republican carriage once for elections which weren't timed the same.)

This has to do with voting patterns, over a long period, and not just percentage margins from recent elections.

[Asian Nazi]

Wisconsin if we're talking about the states as a whole.  Northern Ohio is probably the most similar to Michigan, but Southern and Central Ohio are different enough where I think Wisconsin is a better fit. 

[TJ in Oregon]

Definitely Ohio. Michigan has a more rust belt culture to it rather than an Upper Midwestern one. Other than the UP, it doesn't have the Upper Midwestern clean politics/everyone votes for every issue/community-oriented feel to it like Wisconsin does. Also, Michigan and Ohio don't have nearly the degree of ideological polarization that Wisconsin does. MI and OH are rust belt machine/establishment states. Yes Michigan is more Democratic than Ohio and its margin is closer to Wisconsin's but practically everything else about the state beyond that is more like Ohio.

[Nyvin]

It's a mix of both.  It has the African American populations of Ohio, but lacks it's Appalachia population as well,  the combination of those two factors make it a lot more Democratic.   

The rural areas vote more like Wisconsin than Ohio I would say, just more Republican slightly.   

[King of Kensington]

Definitely Ohio. Michigan has a more rust belt culture to it rather than an Upper Midwestern one. Other than the UP, it doesn't have the Upper Midwestern clean politics/everyone votes for every issue/community-oriented feel to it like Wisconsin does. Also, Michigan and Ohio don't have nearly the degree of ideological polarization that Wisconsin does. MI and OH are rust belt machine/establishment states. Yes Michigan is more Democratic than Ohio and its margin is closer to Wisconsin's but practically everything else about the state beyond that is more like Ohio.

Wisconsin is interesting as it is a Great Lakes/rust belt state, but probably more similar to Minnesota than any other state.

[Gass3268]

Definitely Ohio. Michigan has a more rust belt culture to it rather than an Upper Midwestern one. Other than the UP, it doesn't have the Upper Midwestern clean politics/everyone votes for every issue/community-oriented feel to it like Wisconsin does. Also, Michigan and Ohio don't have nearly the degree of ideological polarization that Wisconsin does. MI and OH are rust belt machine/establishment states. Yes Michigan is more Democratic than Ohio and its margin is closer to Wisconsin's but practically everything else about the state beyond that is more like Ohio.

Wisconsin is interesting as it is a Great Lakes/rust belt state, but probably more similar to Minnesota than any other state.

Eastern part of the state is a lot like Michigan and Ohio, while the Western part is more like Minnesota and Eastern Iowa.

[hopper]

I think Michigan is similar to Wisconsin because the Milwaukee and Detroit City Suburbs are kinda of alike in voting patterns. I don't think Wisconsin doesn't a retirement site like Michigan's Upper Peninsula does or a Grand Rapids like Michigan has though.

[RI]

I think Michigan is similar to Wisconsin because the Milwaukee and Detroit City Suburbs are kinda of alike in voting patterns.

The Milwaukee suburbs are much more influential (and establishment Republican-leaning) in Wisconsin than the Detroit suburbs are in Michigan, however.

[Gass3268]

I think Michigan is similar to Wisconsin because the Milwaukee and Detroit City Suburbs are kinda of alike in voting patterns.

The Milwaukee suburbs are much more influential (and establishment Republican-leaning) in Wisconsin than the Detroit suburbs are in Michigan, however.

However, isn't usually the party that wins Oakland County wins the state?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Based on its recent voting record in presidential elections, probably Wisconsin.

I think Michigan is similar to Wisconsin because the Milwaukee and Detroit City Suburbs are kinda of alike in voting patterns.

Not really.  The Milwaukee suburbs are pretty solidly R, but the Detroit suburbs are competitive.  Oakland County has trended D over the past 20-25 years.

[hopper]

Based on its recent voting record in presidential elections, probably Wisconsin.

I think Michigan is similar to Wisconsin because the Milwaukee and Detroit City Suburbs are kinda of alike in voting patterns.

Not really.  The Milwaukee suburbs are pretty solidly R, but the Detroit suburbs are competitive.  Oakland County has trended D over the past 20-25 years.

Oh yeah forgot about the UAW Vote in the Detroit Suburbs. That's still big but probably not as big as it used to be.