The Graphic Truth: Union workers in swing states

President Joe Biden joined striking US auto workers in Michigan this week to lend support to the labor unions that have been on the picket line.

This move – the first time a US president has joined organized labor groups in protest – shows the importance of specific states in the upper Midwest, where unions yield clout, in paving Biden’s path to victory in next year’s presidential election. Former President Donald Trump, for his part, also addressed auto workers in Michigan this week.

But this outreach isn’t just about the Great Lakes State and its important electorate – it’s reflective of both parties’ efforts to win over white working-class voters in a matchup that’s looking increasingly close.

We take a look at union representation across select battleground states and how they’ve voted in the past four presidential elections.