Why JD Vance is coming to Big Rapids: Electric vehicles and China

It might not seem like it, but the little town of Big Rapids is at the epicenter of many a political race at the moment.

That's due to a controversial project with facets core to both Democratic and Republican candidates: job creation, climate change, economic growth, foreign influence, corporate subsidies and more.

This week, GOP Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance becomes the latest politician to barnstorm through the mid-Michigan city, hoping to garner support in a state the former President Donald Trump desperately needs to win.

Here's what you need to know about the trip and its broader context in the presidential race.

Why Big Rapids?

Officially, the campaign says Vance is going to the city, roughly two hours north of Lansing, to "deliver remarks on the economy, inflation and manufacturing."

But it's right next door to a colossal electric vehicle battery plant project. Gotion Inc. promises to invest $2.4 billion and create 2,350 jobs in and around Green Charter Township. That's a small community, home to about 3,200 in Mecosta County, right next door to where Vance is slated to speak. (The event is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and is open to the public.)

The Gotion plant is a project touted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her allies ? including economic development officials and at one point many local elected leaders.

But Republicans, from Trump to U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, oppose the deal for a variety of reasons.

What's the big deal with Gotion?

The company has obvious ties to China, and it's slated to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in public money in exchange for building the plant in Michigan.

Michigan Republicans initially supported using such corporate subsidies in the state, helping to create a fund for projects after Ford announced massive spending in Tennessee and Kentucky. And former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder repeatedly touted the importance of economic ties to China.

But more recently ? since becoming the minority party in the statehouse in 2022 ? Republicans blast most of these projects, suggesting they do not offer a return on investment.

Critics focus largely on two sites: Gotion, and a Ford-related project in Marshall. Some local residents in each case suggested state leaders and big corporations trampled on local input, claims Ford and other supporters deny. Both projects have ties to Chinese companies, although the Gotion connection is more obvious.

Local elected leaders had to vote to essentially pave the way for the Gotion project. But as political opposition to the project grew, so too did pushback for officials supporting it.

Eventually, voters ousted many officials who voted in favor of local moves that helped the project. New candidates, many of whom ran on a platform opposing Gotion, started to push to end the project. That prompted Gotion to file a lawsuit earlier this year. A judge in the case issued an injunction that undercuts efforts by elected officials to delay or derail the project, a ruling that has since been appealed.

So Republicans oppose electric vehicles? Or is this only about China?

It's complicated.

Trump both says he supports aspects of electric vehicles while also criticizing them. During a rally earlier this summer in Grand Rapids, he effusively praised Tesla and founder Elon Musk ? the support came on the heels of ultimately inaccurate reports that Musk would donate millions of dollars every month to Trump's campaign.

Michigan Republicans have also shifted on electric vehicles. While state lawmakers supported subsidies in the past, many now argue the market indicates too much support for products not enough consumers want.

Trump has also bounced around on China. He's repeatedly praised the country's leader, Xi Jinping, saying during his Grand Rapids event that he "controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist." But he's also threatened massive tariffs on Chinese goods.

But on social media, Trump recently stated he "100% opposed" the Gotion plant, saying it would put "Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist party."

Most of the criticism around Gotion's ties to China center on the idea that the company poses a security risk. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra ? known for both his criticism of China and ties to a Chinese company ? suggested in a recent op-ed the country would use the Gotion facility to spy on the U.S.

Gotion representatives have downplayed any ties to Chinese government influence while testifying to Michigan lawmakers.

What do Democrats say?

Democrats say the project is a local job creator that boosts the state's economy and helps the bigger fight against global warming.

They note Republican opposition to electric vehicles belies an increase in demand: even if carmakers are changing their outlook on the EV market, they note sales continue to rise.

At the same time, Democrats in the Legislature have proposed changes to the state's economic development fund, offering more guardrails for how and when public money is committed to projects.

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has supported the shift to electric vehicles in the past, championing efforts to boost sales alongside President Joe Biden. She visited Detroit in May to celebrate a $100 million federal investment to help automotive parts manufacturers update their facilities to increase electric vehicle production.

All of the support is complicated by Ford and other companies tapping the brakes a bit on electric vehicle production.

How will this issue impact the election?

Mecosta County is reliably red, but the Trump-Vance campaign and other GOP candidates hope underlying themes surrounding the plant help them with many other people across the state.

A July poll for the Free Press showed 31% of voters cited inflation and the high cost of living as their biggest concern ? the top issue for voters in the poll. It also found 55% opposed efforts by Biden and other Democrats to spur electric vehicle production.

While the overall race has changed substantially since then, the economy is always a major deciding factor in any presidential election. If Trump and Vance can tie voter concerns with rising grocery store prices to the government subsidizing electric vehicles, they could woo voters who may not want to support Harris.

That's exactly what the Trump-Vance campaign sought to do in announcing Vance's visit to Big Rapids, pointing to inflation's impact on prices while referencing "EV mandates" from the Biden-Harris campaign.

Reach Dave Boucher at [email protected] and on X, previously Twitter, @Dave_Boucher1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why JD Vance is coming to Big Rapids