Updated October 27, 2026 at 4:05 PM EDT
As President Trump campaigns in Michigan for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, his attacks on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed have grown increasingly personal, including calling him a "jihadist."
But NPR's Michel Martin, reporting from Ann Arbor, Mich., says the heated rhetoric stands in contrast to what some voters told NPR they were most concerned about: everyday costs and frustration with the political system.
"Our Member station colleagues who live here told us that that is not top of mind," Martin told Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
Instead, she said, voters are more concerned about everyday expenses.
"People they talk to, the people we talk to, say they are worried about the price of gas, groceries, and health care," Martin said. "And I got to tell you, a lot of the voters we talk to here are just burned out."
Many voters are simply exhausted by the campaign. Some are throwing away stacks of political mailers. One woman told Martin she voted early just to get it over with.
Frustration with the two-party system is also contributing to some voters' dissatisfaction.
At a University of Michigan football tailgate, Nick Janosi said he plans to vote for El-Sayed but wishes he had more choices.
"I would love to see more independent, middle-of-the-road candidates that kind of take the best of both parties," Janosi said.
At a Detroit Lions tailgate, Josh Snell expressed similar frustration with the two-party system. He said he would probably vote for Rogers, citing his opposition to Trump's Canadian tariffs.
But Martin noticed another shift: a growing reluctance among voters to speak openly about their political views, driven in part by fear of how others might react.
"A lot of people are afraid because of the violence involved," Snell said.
Inskeep described similar encounters with voters in North Carolina who avoided mentioning Trump by name.
Martin said the reluctance to discuss political preferences across Michigan was "worse than I've ever seen it," regardless of which side voters supported. In Ann Arbor, however, she found more people willing to speak openly about their support for El-Sayed, though she couldn't say whether that reflected greater enthusiasm for him or a reluctance among Rogers supporters to speak.
Listen to the full interview by clicking the blue button above. The web version was written by Majd Al-Waheidi and edited by Treye Green.
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