Electric vehicles have emerged as a flashpoint in Michigan's pivotal Senate race.
Republican Mike Rogers has defended Democrat Elissa Slotkin, frequently criticizing both her and the Biden administration on this issue and attempting to tie Slotkin to the “EV mandate.”
Slotkin, on the other hand, is trying to walk a fine line, saying while he supports investing in electric vehicles, he doesn't support a mandate for everyone to drive an electric car.
Michigan's Senate elections could help determine which party controls the Senate next year. Democrats currently hold a razor-thin majority and hold many vulnerable seats.cook political reportcalls the Michigan race, in which Slotkin and Rodgers are running to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), “an upswing.”
The Biden administration has issued regulations requiring automakers to increase the proportion of new cars that are electric or hybrid, but does not completely ban new gas-powered vehicles.
Amid criticism from Rogers, SlotkinI placed an advertisementHe told voters this month that he does not support an EV mandate, but emphasized that he wants such vehicles to be built in Michigan.
“No one should tell us what to buy, and no one is going to dictate anything to us,” she says in the ad. Not in China, but here in Michigan. ”
She made similar comments last week in response to a question in a debate with Mr. Rogers, emphasizing that she supports investment but does not ban it.
“I don't care what kind of car you want to drive, I don't drive an EV. I live on a dirt road on a farm,” Slotkin said. “But if the fundamental question is, 'Who do we want to build the next generation of cars?'” You better believe I want it to be Michigan, not China. ”
“We all know that China is now eating our lunch with these types of vehicles,” she added. “In Michigan in the '70s and '80s, we thought no one drove anything but big cars. We saw these small, very fuel-efficient cars. We pooped on them. Then the Japanese came and ate our car.'' At lunch the Koreans came and ate our lunch. I don't want to miss out on that next generation. ”
Meanwhile, Mr. Rogers attacked Mr. Slotkin for voting against the Biden administration's sweeping effort to repeal auto regulations.
He said during the debate that opponents “further emphasized their position on EV mandates.” Rogers' campI placed an advertisementresponded to Slotkin's ad, accusing her of lying.
“Michigan’s auto industry is deeply ingrained in our way of life…but Harris and Slotkin want to strip it all away and increase our dependence on China even more with a job-destroying EV mandate. Rogers said in a statement to The Hill.
“The people of Michigan have made it clear that we don't want to be forced to build cars that Americans don't want to buy. We're on behalf of autoworkers in Washington to end this foolish practice, and we want Michigan, not Michigan, to be forced to build cars that Americans don't want to buy. Invest in 'China,' he added.
A person familiar with the campaign's strategy told The Hill that Rodgers is expected to continue talking about the issue until Election Day.
Rogers' campaign did not immediately respond to The Hill's question about whether the candidate would support eliminating subsidies for electric vehicles and climate-friendly manufacturing if elected.
Mr. Slotkin's campaign did not respond to questions from The Hill.
Mr. Rogers is also trying to link Slotkin to a controversial battery factory being built near Grand Rapids, Michigan, by a subsidiary of the Chinese company Goshon Hitech.
The site noted that Mr. Slotkin had entered into a non-disclosure agreement with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that provided incentives to Goshon's subsidiary, but that he had not entered into any contract with the company itself.
The attack comes amid broader tensions over EV manufacturing.
Michigan has historically been a center for auto manufacturing, with more than 117,000 people employed in auto manufacturing in the state as of August.Preliminary data.
But the shift to electric vehicles has raised questions about the future of autoworkers' jobs.
2022, Ford CEO Jim FarleysaidHe said 40% fewer workers are needed to make EVs, but the company also aims to make more auto parts in-house and reskill workers to do so.
Experts told The Hill last year that they don't expect the shift to EV manufacturing to necessarily eliminate jobs, citing the possibility that new battery manufacturing jobs will be created, but some may move to or become dependent on new areas within the country. on whether pro-worker policies are in place;
Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabell Roe told The Hill that the fact that Slotkin ran an ad clarifying his position on electric vehicles is proof that the Republican attack is working. That's what he said.
“This is one of the most important issues being debated, and Slotkin is actually running an ad that says, 'We don't care what kind of car you drive,' so it's not going to have any impact. We can see that,” Lo said.
But Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist in Michigan, said he believes Democrats can turn the issue on to Republicans by talking about investments that would prevent job losses not just to China but to other states. .
Hemond said it's a strong argument that “we're entitled to a slice of the pie just like California and Texas,” referring specifically to non-union Tesla factories in those states. .
Democratic national strategist Eddie Baer said talking about investments could help Democrats “neutralize” Republican attacks.
But Roe said voters won't understand the nuance of opposing EV mandates but supporting investment, but will instead see one candidate as pro-EV and the other as anti-EV. Ta.
He likened the issue to anti-abortion candidates “running ads trying to defend their anti-abortion position.”
“It doesn’t create pro-choice people like them, it just sets up a binary choice,” he said.
Vahle said Democrats can also express their arguments in simple terms.
“It's hard to argue about how subsidies are structured or how factories are encouraged to retool, but our argument is simply, 'We can't let China do this. I think that's the flip side of what he's saying: 'President Trump wants to let China win.' That's a very simple top-line message.”
