After taking Michigan, Joe Biden is technically within one state — Pennsylvania — of the White House

• Democratic nominee Joe Biden is projected to win Michigan, with Decision Desk HQ making the call on Wednesday afternoon.

• Michigan has evenly split its vote between Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in the last 12 elections.

• The state has 16 electoral votes.

• Michigan's congressional delegation is split: nine Democrats, six Republicans, and one Libertarian.

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Democratic nominee Joe Biden is projected to win Michigan, Decision Desk HQ reported on Wednesday afternoon.

The victory marked a crucial step for Biden in his quest to reach 270 electoral votes, putting him within reach of the White House by just one or two more state victories.

Michigan's 16 electoral votes push Biden's total up to 253, which means a win in Pennsylvania would send him over the top. Should Biden secure Arizona and Nevada, that would also make him the victor, even if he were not able to pick up Pennsylvania.

Michigan has voted equally for both Republicans and Democrats in the last 12 presidential elections. The state is home to competitive down-ballot races in the Senate and the 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 11th Congressional Districts.

Decision Desk HQ's call for Michigan marks the second state Biden has been able to flip from Trump's victory in 2016. The first was Wisconsin.

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The Wolverine State was seen as one of the most important targets for Democrats in the 2020 election if they had any hope of ousting Trump.

Biden's pickup of Michigan partially restores the so-called Blue Wall of support in the Upper Midwest, with Trump's victories in Michigan and Wisconsin coming as the biggest surprises from the 2016 election.

Control over Michigan's state government is split: the governorship is held by Democrats while Republicans hold both chambers of the state legislature. In Congress, Michigan's delegation is split, with Democrats holding nine seats, Republicans holding six, and Libertarians with one congressional seat. The state has 16 electoral votes and is not expected by analysts to be particularly competitive.

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