LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A visit by President Joe Biden to Michigan Thursday could point to the importance of organized labor in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.

While Both Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to be the nominees for their respective parties, Michigan is holding a primary on Feb. 27.

But Michigan State University Political Scientist Matt Grossmann tells 6 News it’s unlikely voters could see another Republican other than Trump or another Democrat other than Biden come November.

“People decide the race really is between two candidates and as we get closer to election day, support for those alternatives declines,” he says.

Biden’s visit to metro Detroit Thursday, and his hobnobbing with UAW workers could have an impact on public opinion about the sitting president. Key to the perception of Biden’s visit and how it may impact voters, Grossmann says, is media coverage.

“There was protests at the event and there was a large issue of how the Arab-American community is feeling about President Biden in Michigan,” Grossmann noted.

Those protests, he says, could hurt Biden in opinion polls.

“That could lessen the impact of the visit,” he says.

However, Biden has picked up the endorsement of the UAW. Being seen hobnobbing with the union works from a large union could bolster Biden in opinion polls and with voters.

“That matters not just in Michigan, but nationwide,” he says. “That Biden is affiliated with industrial workers who just won a major upgrade in their union contract. So there are some factors that could make it play better for Biden.”

Trump is making a play for union support as well. He met with Teamsters Union on Wednesday.

“Donald Trump did do better with industrial union workers than most Republican candidates do,” Grossmann says. “And, so, he does view it as an opportunity to try to cut into what has traditionally been a bastion of Democratic support.”

A poll from Quinnipiac shows Biden leading Trump, but Grossmann says the polling numbers are too close to draw any hard conclusions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.