Kyle Davidson, Michigan Advance

Michigan House Democrats on Tuesday came out in support of a resolution put forth by state Rep. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy) aiming to censure Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) for “racist statements” made on the House Floor earlier this month.

Schriver, who was stripped of his staff, funds and committee assignment by former House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) last year for promoting the racist Great Replacement Theory on social media, spoke out on a set of policies intended to crack down on sanctuary cities and counties during the chamber’s May 1 session.

In his testimony, Schriver quoted former Presidential Advisor Patrick Buchanan’s book, “The Death of the West”, telling fellow lawmakers “The chasm in our country is not one of income, ideology or faith, but of ethnicity and loyalty.”

“Illegal aliens undermine our national sovereignty. The largest population transfer in history is coming from all the races in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and they are not acclimating, they are not melting and they are not reforming to the American way of life,” Schriver said. “This is something that needs to be addressed.”

MacDonell told reporters on Tuesday that while it’s not surprising to hear Schriver oppose sanctuary cities, his testimony had focused on criticizing people rather than policy.

“Schriver blamed naturalized citizens and their descendants for America’s ills…I think any rational person can agree that it’s one thing to have strong opinions on immigration policy in Michigan. It’s fully another thing to claim that all immigrants, including naturalized citizens, are bad people. Even worse to claim that all people of certain ethnicity that he doesn’t like, or a certain national origin that Schriver doesn’t like, are bad people,” MacDonell said.

House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from India, called Schriver’s comments “deliberate, disgusting, dangerous and disgraceful.”

“They were an attack on families like mine, and an attack on the very spirit of inclusion and the progress that our state is making. His remarks were rooted in ignorance and prejudice and they do not reflect the values of House Democrats or the values of the Michigan people,” Puri said.

“Rep. Schriver also specifically singled out countries whose people are overwhelmingly Black, brown and non-white, not once mentioning European nations or white immigrants. That’s not a coincidence. That’s racism, plain and simple. He didn’t just invoke racist tropes, he leaned into the dangerous Great Replacement Theory suggesting that immigrants of color are here to erase American identity. That’s not policy, that’s paranoia rooted in white supremacy,” Puri said.

He also raised concerns that members of the Republican Caucus hadn’t spoken out against Schriver’s remarks, calling on House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and other Republicans to denounce Schriver’s “hateful rhetoric.”

“When white supremacy echoes in the chambers and you say nothing, you’re not neutral, you are complicit,” Puri said.

When asked about Schriver’s remarks at a press conference earlier on Tuesday, Hall said he hadn’t seen Schriver’s comments, before noting that Schriver had been reelected by his constituents.

Video of House Session shows Hall on the House floor as Schriver requests permission to testify on the bills, though he is not visible on video when Schriver’s speech concludes.

“What I really appreciate about representative Shriver is that he’s, you see a difference, I think, between him last year and this year and, you know, we gave him his staff back… what I’m doing is I’ve got him as a member of our caucus, and you know what I’ve tried to do is put him in positions to succeed, and he’s on some of these oversight subcommittees. I think he’s doing a very good job there. And you see him really voting with our caucus on a lot of issues,” Hall said.

“I appreciate how he’s working with our members as a team, and even though we might have differences at times in how we talk and how we communicate, and I’ve expressed some of those in the past where him and I disagreed,” Hall said, with the Speaker previously stating that Schriver’s resolution calling on the United States Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell V. Hodges, which requires all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, would not move forward.

When asked if Schriver’s far-right views were shaping legislation coming from the House Republican Caucus, Hall pointed to Schriver’s vote in support of bipartisan policies like legislation to create a Public Safety Trust Fund to support local law enforcement and community violence intervention initiatives.

Schriver’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the proposed resolution.

Tariffs weigh heavy on Detroit Chamber’s State of the Region as Trump pledges additional levies

by Kyle Davidson, Michigan Advance
April 1, 2025

While the Detroit Regional Chamber celebrated a resilient economy, low unemployment and a prosperous business environment in the region, President Donald Trump’s trade policies cast a cloud over the state’s future as business and political leaders warned that a trade war with Canada could bring particular harm to metro Detroit.

Arguing Canada has not done its part in combating the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States, Trump has levied a 25% additional tariff on goods from the nation’s northern neighbor, with a lower 10% tariff on energy resources from Canada.

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Trump has also ordered a 25% tariff on all Canadian steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks, which economists have said could reduce 2025 US auto sales by 700,000 vehicles.

Canada has responded by levying tariffs of its own on more than $30 billion in U.S. goods including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances and more. It has also imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on $12.6 billion worth of U.S. steel products, $3 billion in aluminum products, and $14.2 billion in additional goods including tools, computers and servers, display monitors, sport equipment and cast-iron products.

While the Canadian government has said all options are on the table should the U.S. continue to impose tariffs, Trump has labeled Wednesday, April 2, “Liberation Day” with plans to announce massive tariffs in an effort to fulfill his administration’s economic promises, although the details of his plans still remain unclear.

Addressing members of the chamber and their guests on Tuesday, James Blanchard, a former Democratic governor of Michigan who served as the ambassador to Canada from 1993 to 1996, pointed to the benefits of the centuries-long alliance between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north, noting the two countries have held an integrated economy in the automotive, energy, agriculture and national security sectors for years.

With many economists predicting a recession and Ford CEO Jim Farley warning a 25% tariff on autos would “blow a hole” in the U.S. auto industry, Blanchard warned further tariffs could bring serious harm to businesses and consumers.

“I’m not an economist. I’m not an astrologist. All I know is Liberation Day could become Inflation Day if we don’t watch it. And that’s serious,” Blanchard said.

From allying together in World War I and II, the Korean War and the War in Afghanistan, serving as founding members of the United Nations and NATO, as well as partners in NORAD, holding integrated economies and partnering on issues pertinent to the Great Lakes, Blanchard said there is “no good reason” to label Canada a national security threat or trade villain or to suggest it should become the 51st state, in reference to remarks from Trump suggesting Canada would be better off as part of the U.S.

Democratic former Gov. James Blanchard spoke out against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada during the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of the Region presentation on April 1, 2025. | Screenshot

Additionally, Blanchard claimed more migrants have been heading north into Canada than south into the U.S., challenging the President’s rationale for initiating a trade war with what has long been regarded as one of its closest allies.

According to the Canadian government, the country has experienced an influx of individuals crossing between official ports of entry, though it has not publicly released statistics on the number of irregular border crossings since the beginning of 2025.

Blanchard also noted that fentanyl coming from Canada represented less than 1% of fentanyl seizures nationwide.

The former ambassador later noted that Canada was the largest importer of American goods, pointing to energy imports as the cause of the U.S.’s trade deficit with Canada.

“We want that. Michigan uses that. We need that on any given day, natural gas which heats the homes and businesses in this town is probably natural gas from Canada, either shipped directly or back from Ontario,” Blanchard said,

He once again challenged Trump, noting the country is already leading the globe in oil production, countering the president’s argument that the country is facing an energy crisis.

Throughout his speech Blanchard called on Michiganders to show their appreciation for their friends and family members in Canada, pointing to the opening of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor planned for this Fall as an opportunity to celebrate the nation’s friendship.

“Let’s celebrate that as we move forward, and let’s make sure no one distorts the truth about how fabulous this relationship is,” he said.

Tariffs carry heavy consequences for Michigan Business, Detroit Regional Chamber president warns

While the Detroit Regional Chamber’s 2025 State of the Region report showed strong economic growth, job growth, growth in commercial real estate market as well as strong activity in venture capital, the chamber’s President and CEO Sandy Baruah warned that region was particularly susceptible to the impacts of Trump’s trade policy, with its report noting that 234,000 jobs in the Detroit Region rely on trade and investment with Canada.

“In just, you know, literally two or three months, we’ve seen one of the biggest drops in nationwide CEO confidence we’ve ever seen and Michigan is at a disproportionate risk with some of the changes that we are seeing potentially at the federal level, everything from changes in [electric vehicle] policy, electrification, infrastructure and certainly tariffs,” Baruah said.

Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, spoke out against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and automotive imports during the chamber’s State of the Region presentation on April 1, 2025. | Screenshot

“We’re an automotive state. Our supply chains are completely integrated. There is no other state in the nation that has a more integrated supply chain than with the nation of Canada, than Michigan, particularly around automotive and manufacturing,” Baruah said.

While Blanchard highlighted the U.S.’s personal ties to Canada, Baruah further emphasized the economic ties, noting that one in eight residents of the Detroit Region workers hold ties to Canada in addition to 650 Canadian companies with major footprints in Michigan.

According to a poll conducted by the Lansing-based Glengariff group in partnership with the Chamber, Baruah said nearly 70% of Michigan voters believed Canada is an economic friend of the U.S., while a majority understand that tariffs on Canadian goods will hurt Michigan’s economy.

Economic and global threats of worsening relations with Canada

Following Baruah’s breakdown of the chamber’s economic report, lawyer and International Trade expert Aida Dismondy joined Blanchard and Baruah alongside Consul General of Canada in Detroit Colin Bird for a discussion moderated by Devin Scillian, a longtime journalist who retired from WDIV-TV 4 in December.

The panelists severely criticized Trump’s actions against Canada, with Bird noting that 70% of exports from Canada into the U.S. are further input into manufacturing.

Journalist Devin Scillian leads a panel on the impact U.S. tariffs against Canada will have on international relations, trade and business in Detroit during the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of the Region presentation on April 1, 2025. | Screenshot

“What that speaks to is what we do in this region of highly integrated trade… that’s what makes it really valuable for me as a Canadian diplomat here in Michigan to know that this is not a Michigan policy. This is a made in Washington problem, and we need to be working together across this border to protect this region together,” Bird said.

Dismondy echoed Blanchard’s earlier remarks about friends in Canada, noting that she had told her clients their suppliers are their best allies at the moment.

“In a time when the federal government has let us down from a trade policy perspective, it is this time when going back to [the] Governor’s remarks, not only to just call our friends, but our business partners and come together as a united front, because it is through business partners that we will continue these relationships at a time when chaos and insecurity or uncertainty is looming large,” Dismondy said.

On Friday, Baruah, alongside Glenn Stevens Jr., the executive director of MichAuto, which advocates for the state’s automotive and mobility sector, sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative and the state’s congressional delegation, asking them to continue a pause on applying tariffs to auto parts that comply with the United States–Mexico–Canada trade agreement and advising against levying tariffs on vehicles produced outside of Mexico and Canada as well as parts produced outside North America.

Aida Dismondy, a lawyer and internation trade expert, discusses President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign relations and diplomacy at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of the region Presentation on April 1, 2025. | Screenshot

When asked to expand on this letter, Baruah told Scillian he could not see the end game of these policies.

“When I talk to people who are close to the president, people who are in the administration, Republican members of Congress, etc, etc. And they kind of give us the talking points. They say ‘Well, you know, there’s going to be short term pain, you know, but it’s, you know, we’re going to bring, you know, we’re going to bring manufacturing back here,’” Baruah said.

“Tell me how that’s going to happen in a political cycle, because, you know, best case scenario, it takes three, four years to build an automotive plant, it takes about that same amount of time, if you’re lucky, to build an aluminum plant, right? So how does, frankly, the Trump administration, from a political standpoint, withstand the unemployment that’s going to happen, the slowdown in the economy,” Baruah asked, warning that tariffs could lead to rising prices due to tariffs and high unemployment as industries slow down.

Bird later noted that the U.S.’s actions toward Canada had spurred the country into conversations with other trade partners as other countries also expect to face U.S. tariffs.

Colin Bird, the consul general of Canada in Detroit, discusses Canada’s response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of the Region presentation on April 1, 2025. | Screenshot.

“How do we reimagine some trading arrangements that, frankly, we have not put enough effort into because this has been such an easy, effective relationship that we’ve had with the United States. So it’s forcing us to be more creative, and it’s uniting Canadians in a way that I’ve never seen, and makes me proud,” Bird said.

Dismondy, Blanchard and Baruah further stressed the importance of allies as the U.S. works to protect itself from economic threats alongside threats to national security, focusing on Russia and China.

“The only way, given China’s frankly, very strong competitive advantages, to combat the Chinese economic and national security threats is to do it together,” Baruah said.

However, there is some good news, Blanchard said, pointing to Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, who served as ambassador to the Netherlands under Trump’s first administration as well as a U.S. Representative from 1993 to 2011.

“He is eminently qualified to be ambassador to Canada or just about anywhere. He does have the ear of President Trump. I’ve spoken with him. I said, “You got a big job, but you’re up to it, Pete.’ So I think he will be helpful to a reasonable degree, and I think that’s good for Michigan and good for our country,” Blanchard said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.

On the heels of former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) retiring, newly minted Michigan senior U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) has announced he will not seek reelection in 2026, opening the field for what will likely be another hotly contested Senate race.

In a video posted to YouTube Tuesday, Peters discussed his experiences working in Congress, calling it the honor of his life, but stating he always knew there would come a time to pass the torch to the next generation of public servants.

“Our founding fathers envisioned members of Congress as citizens serving their country for a few terms and then returning to private life. I agree. After three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate, I believe now is time for me to write a few more paragraphs in my current chapter and turn over the reins. I will therefore not seek reelection in 2026,” Peters said.

In 2024, Democrats lost control of the U.S. Senate while Peters chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage this term. Democrats managed to hang onto Stabenow’s seat in 2024, as now-U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) narrowly defeated former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake).

While Democrats hope to retake the upper chamber in 2026, Peters’ decision makes that task considerably harder for the party that will have to defend another open seat.

Peters was first elected in 2014, succeeding longtime U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Detroit). He won reelection in 2020 by a razor-thin margin over now-U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.).

With two years left in his term, there is plenty of work left to do, Peters said.

“I intend to continue my work on issues important to all Michiganders by working to lower costs, make sure everyone has the opportunity to succeed, feel safe in their community, and protect core American democratic values,” he said.

Peters was first elected to the U.S. House in 2008 before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 2014. However, Peters noted that while he is leaving Congress, he is not retiring.

“I look forward to writing many more chapters when my term ends. I do not know what those chapters will be, but I expect one of them will be me finding endless twisting back roads where I can experience the joy of total freedom riding my Harley Davidson motorcycle on a warm sunny day,” Peters said.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is already gearing up for a tough campaign, with U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the group’s chair, issuing a statement shortly after Peters’ announcement went public.

“Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him. We’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country.”

This story will be updated.

With U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) announcing last year that he would not seek reelection in 2024, Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is at a critical juncture, as Democrats are seeking to retain control of the seat while Republicans look to flip a battleground district.

Control of the U.S. House also is on the line, with Republicans currently enjoying a slim majority.

In August, state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet secured the Democratic nomination amid a number of high-profile endorsements including Kildee, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor). Former President Donald Trump-endorsed Republican nominee Paul Junge is seeking another shot at the seat, after losing to Kildee by more than 10 points in 2022.

Michigan’s 8th Congressional District contains all of Saginaw and Bay counties, most of Genesee County and parts of Tuscola and Midland counties. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the seat a “tossup.”

McDonald Rivet has focused her campaign on supporting Michigan children and families by creating economic opportunities and working to lower the cost of housing, childcare and prescription drugs.

Junge has stressed his experience working in small business, as well as his time as a criminal prosecutor and working in Trump’s administration as a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services appointee.

McDonald Rivet and Junge are set to debate at Saginaw Valley State University on Oct. 22 in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.

In the lead up to the election, the Michigan Advance posed questions to each candidate on their campaign priorities and their plans if elected to Congress.

McDonald Rivet looks to ‘practical solutions’ to support the middle class

McDonald Rivet is currently serving her first term in the state Senate, after she was elected to a swing seat in 2022.

Prior to joining the Legislature, McDonald served as the chief of staff for the Michigan Department of Education, as well as high-level roles at multiple nonprofits including executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association, vice president of Michigan Future Inc. and president and CEO of Greater Midland Inc.

When interviewed by the Michigan Advance, McDonald Rivet said there needs to be efforts to incentivize and work to bring high-wage jobs into Michigan and the region. However, as lawmakers work to do that, she said Congress also needs to reinstate the expanded child tax credit authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, in addition to making childcare subsidies more readily available for families, working to bring the costs down on housing and make dollars available for people to get into affordable housing.

In addressing drug costs, McDonald Rivet said the country has made a good start on capping insulin prices at $35, noting that other widely used drugs would benefit from the same treatment.

Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug costs is also important, she said, telling the Advance she would support expanding the list of drugs up for cost negotiations and the caps on those drug costs.

“I think the biggest thing that we can do is stop making this a place of political bickering when we know that people are really struggling to afford their prescription drugs,” McDonald Rivet said. “Everybody I know, either has a personal story or a story of someone close to them that’s had to forgo prescription drugs because they couldn’t afford it.”

When looking at taxes and the expiring components of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — passed under Trump, and often referred to as the Trump tax cuts — McDonald Rivet said the policy did very little to support the middle class while favoring the nation’s richest 1%. While she wouldn’t support abandoning all of the Trump tax cuts, lawmakers do need to make sure the middle class is benefitting from them, McDonald Rivet said.

“The way that we approach taxing, tax in general in this country has to be a reflection of our values. And you know, I really think that the idea that if you work really hard, you should be able to get to a middle class lifestyle,” McDonald Rivet said.

She noted her support in expanding Michigan’s earned income tax credit, explaining that the policy not only helps people on the lower end of the income scale, but that there is a work requirement for receiving it.

On her website, McDonald Rivet pledged to continue Kildee’s legacy of standing up for Michigan farmers, telling the Advance she would ensure there is a continuous open dialogue with Michigan farmers.

“When you sit and talk with farmers, one of the things that they will tell you is that the regulation has to keep pace with what’s happening, not just technology, but also climate change starts to affect their crops,” McDonald Rivet said.

Part of that relationship is being an advocate with federal agencies like the Department of Agriculture to make sure policies are working for Michigan farmers, part of it is trade policy and then other pieces include policies like the right to repair and tax incentives for new equipment McDonald Rivet said.

McDonald Rivet also listed safeguarding freedoms and improving democracy under her priorities, noting the threat that a national abortion ban could pose to Michigan’s state level protections for reproductive healthcare. She slammed Junge, saying he is “clearly anti-abortion care, anti-reproductive rights.”

“I think that that is out of pace with, you know, the way people in the district and across the state believe,” McDonald Rivet said.

Junge’s website states that “he believes in the culture of life and knows that a child is a precious gift from God.” During his 2022 campaign, Junge told the Detroit News he supported the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — the case protecting the constitutional protections for abortion care — but that he would not back a federal abortion ban.

When asked about his stance on a federal abortion ban, Junge told the Advance in an email, “I would never and have never supported a national abortion ban. I have been crystal clear on this issue,” accusing McDonald Rivet of fearmongering.

McDonald Rivet told the Advance the best way Congress could protect reproductive rights is by putting the protections of Roe v. Wade into law.

She also emphasized the importance of voting rights, touting efforts Michigan has made to its own voting law while noting her support for the John Lewis Advancement Act.

McDonald Rivet also emphasized that every child has a right to attend a very safe school, saying too many students do not.

She pointed to small class sizes, supporting our teachers through pay and ensuring they have the resources they need and making certain that all schools have access to programs like music and art and gym as vitally important and areas she supports.

She also pointed to efforts in Michigan, like providing funding for free school breakfast and lunches, school safety officers and mental health counselors and increasing funds for teacher salaries as policies that are key to helping schools, calling for universal preschool as another way to support children and education.

In addressing mass shootings and gun violence, McDonald Rivet previously told the Advance she would support policies universal background checks, and safe storage requirements in Congress.

On foreign policy, McDonald Rivet said the U.S. must stand strong with Ukraine in its war with Russia and stand up against Russian President Vladimir Putin. She also supports a ceasefire and aid for Gaza, but said the ceasefire conditions must include the return of Israeli and American hostages from Hamas.

She also previously told the Advance that the U.S. needs to modernize its immigration system to ensure the system works, supporting a stop to illegal crossings at the border and the creation of legal pathways for people seeking a life in the U.S.

Junge pledges to restore faith in the American Dream

In addition to serving in external affairs for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Junge has also worked as a news anchor for Lansing’s FOX-47 news, and the investigative counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee under U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

He served as the deputy district attorney in Ventura County, Calif., telling MLive at the launch of his 2020 campaign against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in 2020 — which was ultimately unsuccessful — that he was raised in Michigan and California, and was later called back to Michigan to help at a family contracting business maintaining housing for military families.

While the Advance was unable to schedule an interview with Junge, he responded to a list of questions sent via email.

When asked how he would support jobs and the economy in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District and abroad, Junge said the U.S. needs to lower the tax burden for working families and seniors, and pointed to former President Donald Trump’s campaign proposals of no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security and extending the Trump tax cuts as “a great start.”

He also called for action on lowering inflation and the cost of energy and groceries, as well as addressing high childcare costs and encouraging small business investment.

“The last four years have been incredibly difficult on the lives of most Americans. Common sense actions like reining in government spending, tax cuts for working families and seniors, increasing healthcare competition, and lowering the cost of prescriptions would go a long way to easing the burden on the residents of the 8th District,” Junge said.

Similar to his opponent, Junge listed supporting Michigan farmers among his campaign priorities, listing favorable trade deals, fewer regulations and a tax policy that reduces the financial burden on farmers as the best avenues for Congress to provide support.

Junge said mass shootings are “a heartbreaking, too frequent occurrence in our country,” and called for a comprehensive approach in addressing the threat.

“I fully support increasing resources to address mental health, secure vulnerable locations such as schools and campuses, and properly enforce Constitutional laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” Junge said.

While McDonald Rivet listed “safeguarding our freedoms and improving democracy” among her campaign priorities, Junge listed “defending our God-given rights” among his priorities. When asked about his concerns and how he would protect rights under attack in Congress, Junge argued that faith in the American dream and confidence that the next generation would have an equal if not better quality of life had been “massively shaken by inept politicians.”

“In Congress, I’ll fight to not only improve day-to-day life but lay the foundations of prosperity for our future,” Junge said.

Asked about the role the U.S. has in both Russia’s war on Ukraine and Israel’s war on Hamas, Junge said, “Weak leadership of the Biden-Harris administration has emboldened the enemies of peace and foments chaos around the world.”

“Returning Donald Trump to the White House will go a long way to restoring stability in global relations. We must stand with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel, especially after the atrocities of October 7. We must prevent these conflicts from escalating to broader wars, and strong leadership facilitates peace,” Junge said.

Junge also criticized the President Joe Biden administration over its policies at the southern border, saying “The lack of a southern border under the Biden-Harris administration is appalling. It harms our economy, is a national security threat, and abets the drug and human trafficking cartels.”

“Just recently [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE] published a report regarding the amount of known criminals who crossed our border illegally — and most agree our government grossly underestimates the amount of illegals who are in our country,” Junge said, referencing data collected as part of a request from U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas).

According to the data, which the Department of Homeland Security said dates back four decades, there are 13,000 immigrants convicted of homicide in the U.S. or abroad who are residing outside of ICE detention in the U.S.

Law enforcement officials told NBC News the immigrants on ICE’s “non-detained” docket are either not prioritized for detention, are serving prison or jail sentences, or ICE can’t locate them.

“We must first close the border; properly fund ICE and the various law enforcement agencies tasked with patrolling the border, as well as provide resources to track, arrest, and deport these known violent criminals who have come across,” Junge said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Throughout election season, jobs and the economy have been a central issue for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, each presidential candidate has floated their own proposals for protecting and building up American manufacturing.

While Harris has proposed closing tax loopholes for some large corporations and providing government support for specific areas of the manufacturing sector like clean energy and semiconductors, Trump has pointed to tariffs as a key component of his trade policy, proposing a 10% or 20% tariff on all imported goods and a 60% tariff on goods imported from China.

Trump has also proposed a reciprocal trade policy, where the U.S. would charge countries the same tariff for their goods if they raise tariffs on American goods above what the U.S. has imposed for the same type of products.

The Trump campaign has argued a Harris presidency would result in a loss of manufacturing jobs to nations like China and Mexico, while Harris has blasted Trump’s proposed tariffs, arguing the increased cost of sending goods to the U.S. would result in rising costs for American families and calling it a “sales tax on the American people.”

According to a recent survey from the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation, voters in six swing states have spoken out against Trump’s proposals of raising tariffs 10 to 20%, with a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle supporting low tariffs on countries that abide by mutual trade rules while continuing to impose high tariffs on China.

The survey found 80 to 85% of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin agreed the U.S. should continue working with other countries to support the current system of tariffs.

It also found 31% of voters across the U.S. backed a 10 to 20% increase on tariffs, while 68% said the U.S. should continue to have low tariffs on other nations on the condition that they abide by their trade agreement with the U.S. Among that 68% was 60% of Republicans surveyed and 77% of Democrats.

In Michigan, 34% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats agreed with increasing tariffs to 10% or 20%, with 28% overall backing Trump’s proposal.

Additionally, 71% of voters surveyed agreed the U.S. should continue to impose high tariffs on China, including 69% of Michigan voters.

When asked if the U.S. should actively work to make trade requirements that required labor standards, 82% of Michiganders said they were in favor, with 79% of Michigan Republicans and 89% of Michigan Democrats supporting trade deals that included policies prohibiting child labor and supporting the right of workers to collectively bargain. Across the U.S. 82% of voters favored trade deals with requirements for labor standards.

Voters were also asked whether they support environmental standards in U.S. trade deals with 78% of U.S. voters supporting the proposal. Among Michigan Republican voters, 70% favored the U.S. including enforceable environmental requirements, compared to 85% of Democrats. Overall, 76% of Michiganders backed environmental standards as a component of trade deals.

A survey from the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation examines voter attitudes on labor standards in trade policy. | Program For Public Consultation

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Fresh off Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) stopped in Oakland County to offer remarks on manufacturing and inflation before making another stop in West Michigan later in the evening.

Vance took the stage around 2:30 p.m. at Visioneering in Auburn Hills, with supporters including Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) and Michigan House candidate Dale Biniecki speaking ahead of Vance’s appearance. James is facing former Judge Carl Marlinga in the 10th Congressional District and Biniecki is running against state Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Twp.) in the 31st state House District.

“It’s time to hold this administration accountable for three-and-a-half years of failed — I won’t even call it leadership. Three and a half years of failure and occupying the White House. The White House needs a new resident and they need it today,” said Hoekstra, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands under former President Donald Trump.

While the vice presidential debate saw both candidates putting on a friendly face, Vance wasted no time in going on the attack after taking the stage, blasting Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris on inflation and offshoring manufacturing, and revisiting multiple moments from Tuesday night.

“Gotta be honest, I feel a little bad for Gov. Walz, and the reason I feel bad for him is because he has to defend the indefensible, and that is the record of Kamala Harris,” Vance said.

While Harris has pledged to address the cost of living, lower energy costs and tackle global crises, Vance argued the vice president has had her entire term to act on these concerns.

He panned the Inflation Reduction Act — passed in 2022 in hopes of creating jobs and supporting government projects, manufacturing and domestic supply chains — calling it the “Inflation Explosion Act,” and blamed Harris for layoffs at a Stellantis plant in Warren as the company discontinues production of an older model of the Ram 1500 pickup truck.

A report from strategic communications group Climate Power has credited the Inflation Reduction Act with creating 334,565 jobs in the clean energy sector, and bringing in $372 billion in new investments in 47 states and Puerto Rico.

Ahead of Vance’s visit, Michigan Democrats offered similar warnings about another Trump presidency, tying the campaign to Project 2025, a list of far-right policy priorities crafted by the Conservative Heritage Foundation intended for a Republican presidential administration.

Trump has repeatedly attempted to distance himself from the effort, but a review from CNN found 140 former members of the Trump administration, including six former cabinet members, contributed to the project’s more than 900-page list of policy proposals.

“When [Trump] passed new tax loopholes that incentivized corporations to move our jobs overseas and gutted communities across our state, we lost 8,000 auto jobs in Michigan alone under Donald Trump,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said in a statement. “Now, he’s running on those same failed policies as if they’re something new – and he’s openly saying he would kill the progress that we’ve made in the auto sector over the last four years.”

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are running to create jobs and lower costs. It’s that simple — plain and simple — create jobs, lower costs. That’s the agenda, and Michigan families will be the first to benefit from that agenda, and so that’s why we’re going to keep fighting back against these lies and false promises that people like J.D. Vance, who is in our state today, keep spreading around this state,” Coulter said.

Vance also laid out the Trump campaign’s vision for protecting American jobs from offshoring and foreign competition.

“Here’s what you got to do to prevent those companies and those countries from undercutting the wages of American workers, You’ve got to be willing to impose tariffs, fighting back against the theft of the American middle class, penalize those companies that are shipping jobs overseas and give a tax cut to American workers,” Vance said.

Picking up from last night’s debate, Vance continued to criticize an analysis of the Trump campaign’s tax and spending proposals from the nonpartisan Penn Wharton Budget Model, which determined the plan would lead to a $5.8 billion deficit in tax revenue if implemented.

Vance also resumed his argument that undocumented immigrants are driving up the cost of housing, however one study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found immigrants boosted the U.S. economy without contributing to inflation, while another noted that immigration could put short-term pressure on housing and rent prices before new supply could be built, with housing experts pointing to a short supply as the reason for high housing costs.

While taking questions from the media, a reporter pressed Vance as to why he would not answer if Trump had lost the 2020 election during the debate, which Walz called a “damning non-answer.”

“Here’s the simple reason. The media is obsessed with talking about the election of four years ago. I’m focused on the election of 33 days from now, because I want to throw Kamala Harris out of office and get back to common sense economic policies,” Vance said.

Vance also had a scheduled event Wednesday afternoon in Marne in West Michigan. Trump is set to host a rally in Saginaw Thursday afternoon, with Vice President Kamala Harris speaking in Flint on Friday as both candidates seek to win over key battleground votes. Trump also is slated to speak at the Detroit Economic Club on Oct. 10.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Michigan’s labor market is continuing to show improvement, according to a new report from the Michigan Center for Data and Analysis, with initial data for 2024 pointing toward continued progress on unemployment and jobs following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2023 Michigan Economic Analysis Report examines Michigan’s performance through various economic indicators, noting that 2023 marked the state’s highest payroll job level and lowest unemployment in 20 years.

“Michigan’s labor market hit historic levels in 2023 and continued to improve in the first six months of 2024. The state’s unemployment rate was low for multiple demographic groups, while the number of jobs and labor force continued to expand,” said Scott Powell, chief data officer and director of the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics. “Looking forward, our recent projections indicate that any growth in the coming years will require more people moving into Michigan.”

While unemployment has continued to decline, Michigan has consistently shown higher unemployment than the nation as a whole, reporting 3.9% unemployment in 2023 compared to the national rate of 3.6%. Michigan also tied Arizona, Texas and West Virginia for the 10th highest unemployment rate in the nation.

Nevada ranked the highest of all states, with an unemployment rate of 5.1%.

Michigan’s jobless rate remained consistently higher than the national unemployment rate for the 20-year period from 2003 to 2023. | Michigan’s jobless rate remained consistently higher than the national unemployment rate for the 20-year period from 2003 to 2023.

Following fluctuations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employment has recovered within the state, with 2023’s employment total surpassing levels from 2019. Additionally, the six-month annual average employment level for 2024 of 4,850,000 people marked the highest average employment total for Michigan since 2001’s annual average of 4,872,000 people.

When examining demographic data, the Center for Data and Analysis found that male joblessness hit a five year low in Michigan, closing the state’s gap with the national male jobless rate before seeing an uptick in 2024. While the female unemployment rate rose nationally, female joblessness saw a decrease in Michigan in the first half of this year.

While the unemployment rate for women was lower than men in 2019, 2020, 2021 and the first half of 2024, workforce participation was higher for men than women during this period.

Although data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey found that Black or African-American residents saw higher rates of unemployment than white individuals from 2019 to 2024, the gap narrowed considerably in 2023 and has continued to close. In the first half of 2024, the jobless rate for Black residents was 5.5%, a 1.9 percentage point gap from the white jobless rate of 3.6%.

While workforce participation for white individuals exceeded levels of Black residents from 2019 to 2023, Black Michiganders saw a higher level of workforce participation in 2024.

In its 2023 Michigan Economic Analysis report the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics examined racial disparities in unemployment rates. | Michigan Center for Data and Analysis

The report found nonfarm payroll jobs had completely recovered in Michigan within three years of the COVID-19 recession, but it also noted a slow down in job growth in Michigan, and across the nation.

In examining the recovery of payroll jobs lost during the pandemic, the report notes it took nearly eight years for payroll jobs to recover to 2007 levels following the Great Recession.

Six of Michigan’s 11 major industry sectors reported growth in employment since June 2023, but growth in jobs has seen a slowdown, with Michigan reporting a 1.3% job growth rate in the first half of 2023 and .7% growth in the first half of 2024. However, job growth rates in the U.S. have been shrinking since 2021.

The report also examined the change in wages for Michigan workers, finding that while hourly wages have increased in recent years, those gains were undercut by inflation. Although average hourly earnings in Michigan’s private sector rose from $26.40 in June 2019 to $32.15 in June 2023, inflation has resulted in a .7% decrease in real earnings.

It also noted that Michigan is seeing a shift from low-wage jobs toward mid-range and high-paying jobs, with jobs paying $15 per hour or less have declining significantly over the past three years as occupations paying more than $40 per hour have grown by 3.9 percentage points overall in the last three years.

The median income for Michigan workers sat at $55,400 in 2022, slightly below the national median of $56, 900. When compared to the rest of the Great Lakes region, Michigan lagged Minnesota and Illinois —which boasted median incomes above the national level — but sat at a near tie with Wisconsin and Ohio as Indiana sat close behind with a median income of $52,800.

In examining data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2021 and 2022, the report also found that racial and gender pay gaps are narrowing in Michigan.

While women previously made 77.8% of what men were earning in 2021, that number increased to 80.6% in 2022. However, Michigan women see a greater disparity than the national gender pay gap, with women earning 82.2% of what men earned in 2022. When ranking states with the smallest pay gap, Michigan was ranked 30th.

In recent years, Michigan’s leaders have placed an increased emphasis on growing the state’s population and retaining young talent within the state, however, projections included in the report note that Michigan’s population growth will likely hinge on increased migration to the state.

With deaths projected to increase and birth rates expected to decline over the next several decades, Michigan could see a sizable decrease in its population by 2050 unless the birth rate increases, or more individuals move to the state than away.

The Center for Data and Analysis notes this scenario could prove difficult as the net level of migration to Michigan has often been negative since the 1970s, but points to positive levels of migration in recent years.

If Michigan can maintain positive migration levels, the center projects Michigan’s population will total 9.9 million in 2050, with the U.S. Census listing Michigan’s population as 10.1 million in 2020. However, without migration, the center projects Michigan’s population will decrease to 9.3 million.

2023 Michigan Annual Economic Analysis Report

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

While speaking in support of Republican U.S. Senate Candidate and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) Monday, Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra said he feared Democrats would “steal some votes” in audio obtained by the Detroit News.

In the recording, taken from a Monday fundraiser in Farmington Hills, Hoekstra noted the party’s support for Rogers saying the party would do everything it can to make sure Rogers wins his election against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly).

While Hoekstra pointed to Roger’s past experiences winning close races, with Rogers winning the race for U.S. Representative in 2000 by 160 votes, Hoekstra said it’s something the party wouldn’t recommend this election cycle.

“If it gets that close, we are afraid that they will steal some votes to make sure that he doesn’t win,” Hoekstra said in the recording shared by the News.

Republicans both in state and across the country have repeatedly falsely accused Democrats of stealing elections following former President Donald Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden in 2020, in which Biden defeated Trump 306-232 in the electoral college and by a 4-point margin in the popular vote.

A report from the then-GOP-controlled Michigan Senate Oversight Committee in 2020 determined there was no evidence of voter fraud in the state, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from continuing to challenge Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over the guidances issued to clerks in the 2020 election and for following elections.

The Michigan Democratic Party slammed Hoekstra’s remarks in a statement Thursday, arguing Rogers has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of Michigan’s elections.

“Pete Hoekstra and Michigan Republicans are continuing to spread dangerous election conspiracy theories and undermine our democracy,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement. “It’s clear Republican leaders don’t believe Mike Rogers is capable of winning this race on his own, and instead they want to push lies at the expense of Michigan and our democracy.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

After giving remarks in West Michigan earlier in the day, former President Donald Trump made another campaign stop in Warren Friday night for a town hall led by Tennessee Senator and fellow Republican Marsha Blackburn.

As thousands of people packed into the Sports and Expo Center at Macomb Community College, Trump’s appearance was delayed by more than an hour. When Blackburn took the stage to share opening remarks, various audience members shouted “Trump” and chanted “We want Trump” at multiple points throughout her speech.

Blackburn opened by noting Warren’s status as a manufacturing hub, before accusing Democrats of contributing to declining manufacturing jobs.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump wave signs at town hall in Warren, Mich. on Sept. 27, 2024. | Kyle Davidson

“You know these great manufacturing jobs, the Democrats just don’t seem to understand — or maybe they don’t care — that we’re losing a lot of these jobs. And they like to say, ‘Well, it’s automation,’ or, ‘Well, we’ve changed how we do business,’ or ‘it’s global competition with China.’ And a lot of times it is bad policies and environmental regulation that the Democrats push forward, and what they don’t get is you are paying the price with your jobs and with your wages,” Blackburn said.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) criticized Democrats’ policies toward the automotive sector at a Sept. 27, 2024 town hall in Warren, Mich. in support of former President Donald Trump’s election campaign. | Kyle Davidson

Upon taking the stage Trump took a handful of questions from autoworkers, centered around undocumented immigration, inflation and protecting American auto jobs.

Trump reiterated his plan to shut down the U.S. border before continuing to push false claims that undocumented immigrants had taken all of the jobs created under President Joe Biden’s administration, and that Chinese companies are building factories in China to outcompete American automakers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of U.S.-born workers increased 3.5% between May of 2021 and May 2023.

While Trump has repeatedly claimed Chinese auto factories are setting up shop in Mexico to import vehicles to the U.S. without paying, multiple fact checks found only one Chinese-owned plant is operating in Mexico, though several Chinese auto companies have expressed interest in opening manufacturing plants in Mexico.

“We’re losing our companies that make our cars, make the autos. A lot of them are going to Mexico now, and it’s Mexico through China, because China owns the factories. They’re building big factories. They wouldn’t have done it with me. They’re building big factories, the biggest in Mexico, and they think they’re going to make the cars and sell them in and close up Detroit, close up everything in this area, close up South Carolina,” Trump said.

“It’s not going to happen, because we’re going to put very heavy tariffs on those cars coming across the border,” he said.

In addition to repeating claims about the auto industry, Trump continued to falsely assert that he had received more votes than any sitting President, denying his loss in the 2020 election.

President Joe Biden received 81.2 million votes in the 2020 election compared to Trump’s 74.2 million votes. In the 2016 election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump lost the popular vote by nearly 2.9 million votes, but secured 306 votes in the electoral college to Clinton’s 232 electoral votes.

“We got more votes than any sitting president has ever gotten, by far, and they say we lost the election, so let’s leave it at the — You know what? We have one coming up in 39 days, so that’ll be a wonderful replacement,” Trump said.

When asked how he would address inflation, Trump said he would start by addressing energy costs by increasing oil and natural gas production, repeating a previous campaign promise of bringing energy bills down 50% within the first year if reelected.

“We’re going to drill, baby drill. Energy is coming way down. Energy. Energy is coming way down. And when energy comes down, everything else follows,” Trump said.

Alongside energy, Trump said he would bring down interest rates, but did not specify how, saying “So we’re going to bring it down with energy and interest rates. The interest rates are going to come down.”

Trump also continued his attacks on electric vehicles, falsely stating that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had mandated all electric cars before pledging to terminate the non-existent mandate on day one if elected.

While the Biden-Harris administration has not issued a ban on gas-powered vehicles, it has set a goal for 50% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030.

Trump also continued to lambast United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whose union endorsed Harris in July.

“[Fain] sold you out because he let Biden, who doesn’t know what he’s doing, I mean, you probably noticed. He let this guy come up with an all electric mandate. Those cars are all going to be built in China. We want cars built in the U.S.A. It’s very simple,” Trump said.

However, Fain hosted a press call earlier in the day responding to Trump’s repeated attacks on his leadership, including claims Fain had done nothing to preserve auto jobs as the industry shifts to producing electric vehicles.

“We went to work with the Biden administration, with Kamala Harris and the team. And when I took over as president, we weren’t in a good place with EV battery work and all that type of stuff with the transition,” Fain said.

“One thing we started talking about right away is this has to be a just transition. And, you know, throughout our bargaining process with the big three, we had a lot of dialogue, a lot of conversation, and the Biden-Harris administration was step by step with us and the companies, making sure we found solutions so we can keep those jobs here,” Fain said.

The union was also able to secure commitments from the Detroit Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — to bring thousands of electric vehicle and battery plant jobs under the union’s national agreements during contract negotiations in 2023.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) also went on the offensive ahead of Trump’s visit, putting up billboards in the communities where he was set to campaign criticizing his administration’s impact on the auto industry.

“Donald Trump broke his promises to Michigan’s working families. On his watch, a Warren car plant closed and the auto industry bled thousands of jobs,” DNC Spokesperson Stephanie Justice said in a statement.

“Michigan voters have had enough. They will reject Trump and his economic agenda that left them in the dust once already and instead send Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to the White House so that they can continue fighting for Michigan families and invest in Michigan manufacturing,” Justice said.

In addition to taking aim against Fain, Trump also criticized Harris for her proposed tax policies, and accusing her of flip-flopping on issues like fracking and support for the police.

While Harris previously said she would support a ban on fracking during her 2019 presidential campaign, she has since stated she would not ban fracking in the United States. Additionally Harris voiced support for the movement to defund the police in 2020 saying it “rightly” criticized the amount of funding allocated to police departments instead of community services, CNN reported. She later denounced the movement after joining Biden’s presidential campaign.

Trump and Blackburn also called on attendees to elect former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) to the U.S. Senate and to re-elect U.S. Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) and John James (R-Shelby Twp.) in order to support Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with large portions of the act set to expire in 2025.

Rogers, McClain and James were each in attendance at the town hall.

Advance Senior Reporter Jon King contributed to this story.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

As both presidential candidates amp up their efforts to win over battleground state voters, former President Donald Trump made another stop in Michigan Tuesday, hosting a town hall in Flint alongside Arkansas Gov. and former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The town hall marked Trump’s first campaign appearance since the FBI began investigating a possible second assassination attempt against the former president. His running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), hosted another campaign event in Sparta earlier in the day where he railed against Democrats for the shooting in Pennsylvania as well the incident in Florida on Sunday.

“They want to do everything that they can to silence Donald Trump, and they send that signal with every action that they take,” Vance said. “Well, if you’re trying to silence Donald Trump and you’re sending the message we have to do everything that we can to silence Donald Trump, a crazy person is eventually going to take that message to heart. Thank God nothing truly tragic has happened to Donald. Democrats have gotta cut this crap out.”

Upon taking the stage in front of thousands of supporters at the Dort Financial Center, Trump wasted no time in spouting disproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen after Huckabee Sanders asked Trump why he chose to run a third time.

“We ran in 2016 and it was amazing, it was amazing and we won. We then ran in 2020 and we did much better than 2016, people don’t like to hear it. ‘Oh he’s a conspiracy theorist.’ We got millions and millions more votes. We did much better. Wasn’t even a contest,” Trump said.

Trump has continued to falsely claim the results of the 2020 election were rigged. He lost to President Joe Biden, who received 81.2 million votes versus Trump’s 74.2 million. Biden won the Electoral College 306-232.

In addition to pushing his “Big Lie,” Trump repeated his claim that Chinese auto companies were building auto plants in Mexico to ship across the border without being charged taxes.

“They’re building these massive auto plants, and they think they’re going to make tens of thousands of automobiles and sell them here, no tax, no nothing,” Trump said.

When the Associated Press asked auto industry experts about Trump’s claim in July, they were unable to identify any such plants under construction, and could only point to one small Chinese auto assembly plant operating in Mexico.

Although Trump has repeatedly credited himself with saving the American auto industry through his tariffs on China, economists and industry experts have argued Trump’s policies either hurt the auto industry or had little impact.

Later in his speech, Trump repeated his attacks on United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whose union endorsed in July Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I’ve never met [Fain], but what he’s done to your union, and what he’s done by agreeing to allow this country to say, we’re going all electric, which at some point they’re going to end up taking back that mandate, because that mandate is insane,” Trump said.

While there is no mandate requiring the sale of electric cars, Trump has repeatedly referred to the Biden administration’s goal for 50% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 to be electric as a mandate.

During contract negotiations in 2023, Fain was able to secure commitments from the Detroit Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — to bring thousands of electric vehicle and battery plant jobs under the union’s national agreements.

Harris’ campaign didn’t wait for Trump’s town hall to conclude before issuing its own criticism of Trump’s record on manufacturing and auto jobs. with U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) blasting Trump’s economic record in a statement released ahead of the rally.

“Under Donald Trump’s watch, Michigan lost 280,000 jobs as he handed out tax giveaways to billionaires and corporations. A second Trump term would be even worse — raising costs on Michigan families by nearly $4,000 a year, crushing auto jobs, and ceding Michigan’s global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government,” Peters said.

“The only candidate in this race who understands working families is Vice President Harris, who has a plan to lower costs, bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back home, and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing,” he said.

The Harris campaign also pointed to a report from Atlas Public Policy Institute’s EV Hub which found the U.S. is outpacing China in investments into electric vehicle manufacturing. The campaign also boasted that the United States’ trade deficit with China hit its lowest level since 2010 under the Biden administration.

Alongside taking occasional prompts from Huckabee Sanders, Trump took three questions from audience members, although the former president’s answers frequently rambled or veered into other topics entirely.

“I give these long, sometimes very complex sentences and paragraphs, but they all come together. I do it a lot. I do it with [Gen.] ‘Raisin’ Cane, that story. I do it with the story on the catapults on the aircraft carriers. I do it with a lot of different stories. When I mention Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I’m using that as an example of people that are coming in — from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ — I use it,” Trump said. “They say, ‘It’s terrible.’ So they say, so I’ll give this long, complex area, for instance, that I talked about a lot of different territory. The bottom line is I said the most important thing, we’re going to bring more plants into your state and this country to make automobiles, we’re going to be bigger than before.”

“The fake news likes to say, ‘Oh, he was rambling.’ No, no, that’s not rambling. That’s genius. When you can connect the dots. Now, now, Sarah, if you couldn’t connect the dots, you got a problem. But every dot was connected, and many stories were told in that little paragraph,” Trump said.

When one audience member, a third-generation autoworker, asked Trump what he saw as the threats to the auto industry and his plans to eliminate those threats, Trump immediately pivoted to nuclear threats and foreign diplomacy, saying, “It’s the single biggest threat to the world, not only Michigan, to the world, and you’re not going to care so much about making cars if that stuff starts happening and we have people that are not good at negotiation,” before blaming Biden for the war in Ukraine.

He went on to criticize individuals concerned with climate change before arguing the U.S. was losing business to China and Mexico, touting his “reciprocal trade act” where the U.S. would respond to tariffs levied by other countries by charging them the same tariff, saying Michigan would be the largest beneficiary from this plan.

When Huckabee Sanders asked what he would do to secure the nation, Trump reupped his campaign promises to shut down the U.S. border and increase oil production, before discussing drugs, saying, “Unless you have the death penalty for drug dealers, you’ll never get rid of the drug problem. Put that through your head, OK? Put that through your head. And I don’t know if our country is ready for it.”

Trump also received a question on how he would bring down the cost of food and groceries. While he discussed his hopes of lowering energy costs, the federal interest rates and working alongside farmers, Trump later shifted back to border security, criticizing Democrats saying they’d changed their stance on creating a strong border.

Earlier this year, Senate Democrats and Republicans brokered a deal which would have added more than 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel, funded the installation of 100 cutting-edge inspection machines to help detect fentanyl, and established an emergency authority allowing the president and secretary of Homeland Security to temporarily prohibit individuals from seeking asylum when the Southwest border is overwhelmed, with limited exceptions.

However, Trump vocally opposed the legislation, vowing to “fight it all the way” and cheering the bill’s failure, with multiple lawmakers blaming Trump for tanking the deal.

In the final question of the evening, a local contractor asked Trump about his tax plan, expressing concerns of a tax increase under Harris.

With large portions of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire in 2025, Trump jumped at the opportunity to criticize Harris, arguing she would terminate his administration’s tax cuts, though Harris has previously committed to preserving the 2017 law’s tax cuts for those earning under $400,000 a year according to a report from Reuters.

He also criticized Harris’s plan to raise the capital gains tax rate to 28% for those making more than $1 million each year, arguing it would “drive every business out of the United States.”

“A lot of these people are international business people. A lot of these companies are international. They don’t care if they’re here or someplace else. They go for the best deal. They go for their shareholders if they raise the taxes like that, they go to other countries,” Trump said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

While allies of former President Donald Trump gathered in Farmington Hills on Friday for a town hall as part of Trump’s “Agenda 47 Policy Tour,” policy discussions remained scant, as members of the panel played up conspiracies pushed by the former president in their efforts to mobilize voters.

The panel, which consisted of Republican former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), Republican National Committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) and Republican former gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, briefly touched on concerns of inflation, border security and Trump’s proposal to remove taxes on tips and overtime pay, while multiple panel members conspiracies of election fraud and the existence of a shadow government or “deep state.”

The event took place as both the campaigns of Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continue to lavish attention on the battleground state of Michigan. Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, campaigned in Grand Rapids and East Lansing this week and both Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, are slated to campaign Tuesday in Flint and Sparta, respectively.

Although she didn’t participate in the town hall, Trump attorney Alina Habba spoke briefly at the beginning of the event. She bragged that she had been placed under gag order while representing Trump in his civil fraud trial and that she had been sanctioned for nearly $1 million for a case brought against 31 individuals, including former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, former top FBI officials and the Democratic Party who investigated whether the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia in the 2016 election.

In the order on sanctions, U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks said Trump’s complaint, which accused defendants of conspiring to sink his 2016 campaign by alleging ties to Russia, “should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.”

Habba also repeated Trump’s claim that Harris supported funding transitions for undocumented immigrants in prison. This statement may have been a reference to Harris’s answer on a 2019 ACLU questionnaire where she said she supported “policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained.”

Ramaswamy also took aim at Harris before opening up the panel for audience questions.

“She’s not a communist; she’s not a Marxist. She’s a cog in the system actually. I mean, call her communist; it gives her too much credit. It assumes that she has an ideology,” he said.

“I mean, say what you want. [U.S. Sen.] Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), I like the guy. I don’t respect his policies. I like him because he at least has policies, even if they’re ones that I disagree with. Kamala Harris is one step worse than that, because she’s got nothing. It’s a flag that waves in whatever direction the wind is blowing,” Ramaswamy said.

Trump and his campaign have repeatedly criticized Harris, arguing the vice president has flip-flopped on various issues including dropping support for a ban on fracking and support for Medicare for All, both of which she supported during her 2020 bid for president. She has also taken a tougher stance on immigration, and no longer supports decriminalizing border crossings as she did in 2019.

Harris’s campaign has levied similar criticisms at Trump, particularly on issues of marijuana and abortion. During his time in office, Trump took steps to oppose marijuana use but has recently supported reclassifying the drug to allow for medical use. His stance on abortion has repeatedly shifted, vowing that he would sign a 20-week national abortion ban passed by the U.S. House in 2017. Trump has claimed he would not sign a national abortion ban, saying the issue should be handled by the states — but he did not recommit to that during last week’s debate.

After echoing Trump’s call for the largest mass deportation in American history, arguing that’s what it means to stand for the rule of law in the nation, Ramaswamy echoed Trump’s conspiracy of a deep state, alleging that government bureaucrats are influencing government policies and elected officials.

“What does it mean to be American? It means the people we elect to run the government ought to be the ones who actually run the government, not the shadow government and the deep state, the three letter agencies that are running the show today, which actually reminds me of the second mass deportation we need in this country. It’s not just millions of illegals out of the United States. It’s millions of unelected federal bureaucrats out of Washington, D.C. That is how you drain the swamp,” Ramaswamy said.

Panelists also pushed Trump’s claims that the justice system has been weaponized against him. The former president is at the center of multiple legal cases including mishandling top secret documents, attempting to overturn the 2020 election, as well as anti-racketeering charges in Georgia and has made numerous attempts to paint the cases as political in nature. He was convicted of 34 felony counts in May for falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

While answering a question from a pro-Trump content creator who said he was facing censorship on social media, Ramaswamy argued government actors are working to censor conservative content creators on social media, echoing claims from a case before the Supreme Court earlier this year accusing President Joe Biden’s administration of colluding with social media companies to suppress freedom of speech by encouraging the removal of misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election.

The court ultimately decided 6-3 that Missouri and Louisiana which brought the case alongside seven co-plaintiffs could not demonstrate any harm or substantial risk that they will suffer an injury in the future, and therefore did not have standing.

When answering a question on election security, Walberg said he had been “canceled” after voting to object to the electoral college count in the 2020 election, in which Biden defeated Trump 306-232 in the electoral college and by a 4-point margin in the popular vote.

He criticized Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s handling of the 2020 election saying, “What our secretary of state did here, what she told her clerks to do, was illegal. So even if the vote count came out right, it was done wrong.”

While the then-GOP-controlled Michigan Senate Oversight Committee released a report in 2020 determining there was no evidence of voter fraud in the state, Benson has faced multiple legal challenges over election guidances issued to clerks.

Republicans successfully challenged Benson’s signature matching guidelines issued prior to the 2020 election, with her 2023 signature guidance that clerks should initially presume the validity of absentee ballot signatures being struck down in June.

While Republicans painted the guidance as an effort to sidestep safeguards for absentee ballots, the remainder of Benson’s guidance was upheld, allowing election officials to consider explanations for signature discrepancies, including that a voter’s signature may change over time due to age or disability, that it was made in haste, or was written on an uneven surface.

Both Walberg and Kolanagireddy made reference to disproven claims of illegal activity during election night at Detroit’s former TCF Center in 2020.

“Are you willing to be an election worker, a poll watcher, a ballot counter? Are you willing to stand there and take down pizza boxes from the windows? If we do that, we’ll win,” Walberg said, likely referencing the decision to cover the windows at the TCF Center after individuals standing outside the polling place refused to stop taking unauthorized photos and videos of poll workers and their paperwork.

Ramaswamy closed the town hall by accusing the media of attacking Biden during his presidential campaign in order to build credibility to prop up Harris, and continuing to espouse claims that the U.S. government is being run by bureaucrats.

“The truth of the matter is, the people we elect to run the government. Mostly, they’re not even the ones running the government. It’s a machine. It’s the deep state that sits underneath it. And if you want a candidate who’s going to get in there and finally not just bring a chisel, but bring a jackhammer to break the thing if needed. Fire 75% of those federal bureaucrats; send them packing. Shut down agencies like the U.S. Department of Education; send that money back to the states and to the people,” Ramaswamy said, proclaiming his support for Trump.

“There’s always a risk. Maybe don’t cut enough fat. That’s what most people do. I’m going to go in there, well, I’m going to cut just the right amount and see how it goes. No, it doesn’t work, because they’re going to grow right back,” Ramaswamy said. “What Donald Trump’s going to do is, you know what? You might go in there, you might cut so much fat that maybe you cut some muscle along the way. Maybe things are a little bit rough at times. But you know what? That’s what it takes to actually get this right. So it takes somebody from the outside who’s doing this for the right reasons. That’s why I’m supporting Donald Trump, and I think we need more of that in American politics.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance returned to Michigan on Wednesday, joining supporters in West Michigan as he slammed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, manufacturing and the rising cost of living.

Vance, the running mate of Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, spoke outside Cordes Inc. in Byron Center, and said communities like this had been cast aside by Washington D.C. politicians.

“Now politicians come into places like Michigan, they say nice things, but they crush our industries. They offshore our jobs, and they undercut American wages with illegal labor,” Vance said. “You my friends have been betrayed, and the people who have been doing the betraying have gotten rich off of this country’s decline, and it’s time to call them out, and it’s time to kick them out of office.”

Vance blamed Harris for rising consumer prices, slamming the vice president for casting the tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate in support of the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, calling the former “nearly $2 trillion in reckless spending.”

Vance also referred to the Inflation Reduction Act a “radical left wing spending wish list, which spent millions and billions of dollars on green energy scams,” blaming inflation and rising energy costs on clean energy spending.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that 2024 would represent the slowest rise in electricity rates since 2020. Electricity prices increased by an annual average of almost 7% between 2021 and 2023, which the administration says was caused by the fluctuation of “highly volatile” natural gas prices.

A report from Climate Power — a communications firm focused on building support for climate action — credited the Inflation Reduction Act with securing $361 billion in investments and 312,900 new jobs in 47 states and Puerto Rico, including jobs in battery manufacturing, electric vehicle manufacturing, and solar and wind manufacturing.

Michigan was among the leading states in clean energy manufacturing, securing $25 billion in investments and 21,490 new jobs, including 14,306 jobs in low-income areas.

Vance also blamed the Biden-Harris administration for job cuts in Michigan’s auto-industry, falsely stating that Harris supported extending the North America Free Trade Agreement, an agreement with Canada and Mexico which critics say is to blame for job losses, wage stagnation and the decline of U.S. manufacturing.

Vance also touted Trump-era tariffs on China, saying a lot of American workers benefited from the policy

While Trump has said his administration’s tariffs saved the American auto industry, a report from Politifact found that U.S. companies purchased their parts from other nations, though the tariffs led to a 3% increase in gross domestic output for auto parts. However, China raised its own tariffs in response, leading to a significant reduction in auto exports to China.

At the close of his speech, Vance said a second Trump presidency would restore hope in the American dream.

“When we say that we will make America great again, we mean something simple: safe streets for our families, a secure border, affordable food for our children and the American dream. Whether it’s to buy a home or to see your children do better off than you did, that is achievable again. Let’s get it done,” Vance said.

Ahead of Vance’s rally, physicians from across the state hosted a call to share concerns on the future of abortion care and in vitro fertilization, asking the senator to properly outline his policy stance on both procedures.

“Voters should be made aware of Senator Vance’s past comments and his current deflection that the states can decide, which is a policy that has proved dangerous and very disrespectful to girls and women,” said Iris Ford, an urgent care physician who worked in rural Kentucky early in her career and delivered between 100 and 150 babies a year.

While Vance stated in 2022 that he would like to see abortion banned nationally and previously defended the lack of exceptions for rape and incest in a Texas abortion ban, he has since echoed Trump’s stance that the issue should be left to the states.

“J.D. Vance has stated that he does not support exceptions to those abortion bans for rape or incest. He says two wrongs don’t make a right and he also suggested that rape resulting in pregnancy was inconvenient,” Ford said. “I have treated patients who survived these sort of traumas, and I can assure you that they are not inconveniences. No survivor of rape or incest should be forced to carry her attackers baby, period.”

Ford also highlighted stories of how abortion bans across the U.S. had resulted in women facing negative health impacts after being denied care as a result of the bans, noting that women in Idaho are being airlifted to other states where abortion is not banned for emergency care.

Michigan Democrats also sounded the alarm on how a Trump-Vance presidency could impact labor and healthcare in the state.

“Just the other night, Donald Trump was openly laughing with Elon Musk about how he would fire workers who went on strike. And the UAW even filed federal labor charges against him for threatening and intimidating workers,” U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) said on a Zoom call prior to Vance’s speech.

“Bottom line, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance will never miss an opportunity to screw workers. If there’s two things Michigan voters hate, it’s Buckeyes and politicians that lie to them, and J.D. Vance is both. Michiganders don’t want to go back to the chaos and the craziness and the dishonesty of Donald Trump and his new VP pick,” Stabenow said.

Stabenow also criticized the Trump administration’s economic policy and spoke out against Project 2025, a list of far-right policy proposals assembled by the conservative Heritage Foundation that includes plans for reshaping the federal government, reversing course on climate efforts, restricting access to the abortion pill and barring hospitals from providing emergency abortion care.

“JD Vance’s spin doesn’t erase the facts, the lives, the livelihoods, that were lost under Donald Trump’s disastrous handling of the economy and COVID. We can’t afford to go back, and we definitely cannot afford their dangerous Project 2025 agenda,” Stabenow said.

While the Trump campaign has repeatedly attempted to distance itself from the more than 900-page list of proposals, a review from CNN found 140 former members of the Trump administration, including six former cabinet members, had contributed to the document. Stabenow also noted Vance’s connections to one of the project’s lead authors, having written a forward for Heritage Foundation President Kevin D. Roberts’ upcoming book, “Dawn’s Early Light.”

“We’re seeing jobs begin to come home from overseas. When we’re talking about 44 new manufacturing facilities and counting? That’s real, and we’ve got more growth in small businesses than we’ve had in 50 years. And more wealth in the Black community, 60% more wealth,” Stabenow said. “So people are beginning to really see that and feel that. It takes a while to move the ship around from trickle down economics, which Donald Trump and JD Vance espouse, to really focusing on growing the middle class. And so people are beginning to see that now.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Following a complaint to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers at the end of July, a Bay City community activist has filed a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to block independent presidential candidate Cornel West from appearing on the November ballot.

Rosa Holliday, a longtime civil rights and community activist previously requested the board of state canvassers disqualify West from the ballot, alleging his qualifying petitions were “rife with forged signatures.”

On Monday, Mark Brewer, Holliday’s attorney and a former Michigan Democratic party chair, announced on X they had filed a suit to keep West off the ballot.

Brewer told Michigan Advance in an email that the suit supplements the facts and legal arguments made in the earlier complaint. The case was filed with the Michigan Court of Claims and has been assigned to Judge Christopher Yates.

“We filed because the [secretary of state] hasn’t made a decision and the deadline to finalize the ballot is only a few weeks away,” Brewer said.

The Board of Canvassers will consider West’s petitions at their Aug. 26 meeting, Michigan Department of State Communications and Media Relations Director Angela Benander told the Advance in a text message.

Ballots will start printing on Sept. 6.

The West campaign did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.

In a previous response to the complaint filed on the campaign’s qualifying petitions, West spokesperson Edwin DeJesus said the campaign views the challenge as “part of a broader attempt to undermine the democratic process rather than legitimate legal objections,” arguing the allegations “focus on procedural issues such as incomplete voter information and errors by petition circulators, disproportionately emphasizing technicalities over substantial compliance.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

On Monday evening Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson reported her home had been the target of two instances of swatting over 48 hours, with Benson telling attackers she will not back down from her duties as Michigan’s head election official.

Last week, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) also reported they had been targeted by acts of swatting, where someone submits a false report to emergency services to deceive them into sending armed police to another person’s address.

“I’m grateful for the professional, coordinated response from local and federal law enforcement who quickly contained the threat and worked to ensure our safety,” Benson said in a post to social media.

“Swatting is a form of political violence that is horrific, dangerous and intended to terrify its victims. But hear me clearly: I will not be intimidated,” She said.

The Detroit Police Department media relations confirmed Benson had been targeted in two swatting incidents. The department’s Cyber Crimes unit is currently investigating, while the department has protocols in place to prevent further incidents from occurring.

Benson has been the target of multiple threats in the wake of the 2020 election and had dozens of armed protestors gather on her lawn in support of former President Donald Trump’s disproven claims that the election was stolen.

“These threats never have and never will deter me from my job: ensuring Michigan citizens can have confidence in their secure, fair, accurate elections. I will continue to stand with election professionals throughout Michigan to guard every citizen’s vote no matter who they are, where they live, or who they vote for,” Benson said. “Onward.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Fresh off her Tuesday night victory in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) rallied alongside retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) throughout the state, with the lawmakers reaching their final stop Friday in Lansing.

After joining U.S. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) and Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) in Grand Rapids earlier in the day, Slotkin and Stabenow brought their “Thelma and Louise” tour to an end alongside former State Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing), who is looking to succeed Slotkin in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.

“I’ve been lucky in my career to follow strong, powerful women,” Hertel said. “I got to follow Gov. [Gretchen] Whitmer into the state Senate and hopefully, with all of your help, I get to follow Congressman Slotkin in Congress.”

Hertel praised both Stabenow and Slotkin for working across the aisle, saying there’s a need for more politicians who can work with people they disagree with to deliver results.

He blasted Slotkin’s opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), arguing Rogers had consistently put his pocketbook before the needs of the people.

“[Rogers] left the U.S. House and moved to another house in Florida, one that had a really nice waterfront view. And you know, we want him to enjoy it again, which is why we’re going to send him back there in November,” Hertel said.

Stabenow recapped the events of the previous days, traveling from Detroit to Grand Rapids, and stopping in South Haven for the blueberry festival, joking their tour hadn’t gone off the cliff yet — in a nod to the cult classic’s famous ending — but that they had passed a few police cars, with Slotkin later admitting she was driving a “little bit faster than I should have been.”

While she said she was confident Slotkin would win in November, Stabenow warned mid-Michigan voters against taking anything for granted.

“We need to be doing everything we can to keep that going and keep people engaged for the future. We absolutely do,” Stabenow said.

“Let’s be clear, we can’t let [former President] Donald Trump or [Ohio U.S. Sen.] J.D. Vance anywhere near the Oval Office again,” Stabenow said before expressing similar statements Hertel made about Rogers and his own opponent for the 7th District, former state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte).

The 2024 election is centered on shared American values, and the rights and freedoms citizens fight for every day as well as those they want to restore and protect, Stabenow said.

“I can’t believe it’s 2024 and I’m having to talk about women making our own, not only decisions on abortion care, but birth control and IVF. I mean, this isn’t 1824 — this is 2024 — and we’re having to talk about this. It’s stunning and it’s scary, and we are not going to go back,” Stabenow said.

Slotkin understands that politics is a team sport, and that legislating is more than making speeches, Stabenow said, pointing to Slotkin’s effort leading opposition to the food assistance cuts and weakened language around climate conservation in the House version of the farm bill.

Because of Slotkin’s efforts, Stabenow said she is now in a position as Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee chair to negotiate those items.

Before passing Slotkin the microphone, Stabenow reflected on her time serving the people of Michigan in the Legislature, the U.S. House and finally the U.S. Senate.

“It has been the honor of my lifetime to suit up every day and work to get things done for you and for our wonderful state,” Stabenow said. “I care deeply about Michigan, and I want to pass the torch to someone who loves Michigan as much as I do. There is no one more qualified, more talented, more hardworking … that I would love to pass the torch to than our next senator, Elissa Slotkin.”

In her speech, Slotkin emphasized Stabenow’s role as a trailblazer for women in politics.

“I think it’s easy to forget in the state of Michigan, where we seem to have really figured out how to elect women, it’s hard to sometimes remember what it means to be a first and how it wasn’t that long ago that [Stabenow] was breaking these incredible ceilings for all of us,” Slotkin said.

“The thing that I always tell people is there was never a moment where I said, ‘Gosh, I wonder if Michigan will elect a woman. Like I’m thinking about running, should I? Is it possible for a woman to win?’ That never crossed my mind, because of her, right? Because she had done it,” Slotkin said.

As she heads toward the general election, Slotkin cautioned her supporters against assuming the race is won, pointing to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election.

“We thought someone was going to win in 2016 too and had that feeling, that pit in our stomach the day after the election, when we realized that we thought it was in the bag and it was not in the bag. We’re not going to have that feeling again,” Slotkin said, pushing her supporters to put in the extra work while campaigning.

Looking at the election, Slotkin outlined her four reasons for running, contrasting herself with Rogers.

When discussing opportunities for Americans to make it into the middle class, Slotkin focused on supporting job creation and union jobs while bringing down costs for childcare, healthcare, post-secondary education and housing, blasting Rogers for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Slotkin’s second reason centered on onshoring manufacturing, as she pointed to supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global chip shortage and concerns about pharmaceutical manufacturing in the U.S.

“Let’s be clear: The conversation about make more things in America is very, very zero-sum. If we don’t make the next generation of vehicles, China will. If we don’t make the next generation of chips, China will,” Slotkin said, arguing that Barrett had opposed policies to bring “a manufacturing renaissance to the state of Michigan,” and that Rogers was fighting against progress.

In an email, Barrett campaign strategist Jason Roe said that Barrett supports manufacturing and those who work in Michigan’s manufacturing sector, but opposes taxpayer-funded business incentives.

“Taxpayers expect their tax dollars to fund education, infrastructure, and essential services, not give welfare to Wall Street. His focus is on those priorities specified by industry: talent and talent development, the cost of energy, and the regulatory environment,” Roe said.

“These career politicians have made these problems worse and think they can paper them over with taxpayer-funded handouts. However, the promises made by these politicians when they voted to spend billions on the corporations have not materialized and we are nowhere near seeing the jobs promised by the companies who received the handouts,” he said.

Slotkin listed protecting children as the third reason for her Senate bid, calling for action on gun violence while slamming Republicans for supporting books bans and attacks on teaching Black history in schools.

In her last point, Slotkin said it’s time for Americans to start playing offense in protecting their rights.

While Rogers has said he wouldn’t support proposals to restrict abortion that conflict with Michigan’s law, and spoke out against Alabama’s restrictions on IVF Slotkin warned voters against taking Rogers at his word, pointing to Roger’s past record against abortion.

“People tell you who they are. They tell you. Believe them, believe them. And if you think that Mike Rogers is our champion for our rights and our democracy, I got a bridge I want to sell you down the street,” Slotkin said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.