KENT COUNTY, Mich. — In an election season, a Thursday in Kent County, Michigan can often come with a whirlwind of political happenings.
Encompassing the second-largest city in this key battleground state, high-profile races for the presidency and Congress are set to run right through this once-reliable Republican bastion that has since become a critical swing battleground.
And it's a scene that was highlighted yet again on Thursday when top players in key races descended on the area to spread their messages.
On the same day, the county played host to both Democratic Michigan Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin, as well as North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, who's been seen by many as a top contender to be former President Donald Trump's vice presidential pick for the GOP ticket this fall.
Both parties' surrogates focused on what has seemingly emerged as largely successful issues for their platforms.
For Burgum, the North Dakota governor and former presidential candidate honed in on the state of the economy as he toured a local butcher shop.
"When I say [the] election's going to turn in a place like this, it absolutely is, because this is where the everyday working American who's got a job and they've got a paycheck, and they come and then they get hit in the face with inflation," Burgum said.
In a March 2024 Quinnipiac poll of over 1,000 self-identified registered voters in Michigan, 65% of respondents believed the economy to either be 'not so good' or 'poor,' and 56% disapproved of President Joe Biden's handling of it.
"At the end of the month, whether it's the food on the table, the gas in the car, the price of electricity in their home - some of them, I'm sure, have said, 'Hey, I'd love to buy a house,' but with interest rates, the American Dream is out of reach," he continued. "And every election in the end turns on people saying, 'Am I better off than I was four years ago?'"
Speaking with reporters, Burgum made reference to federal regulations on agriculture and electricity that he believes have been detrimental to the economy, given North Dakota's position in both such industries.
"With President Trump, it was like a gentle breeze at our back, and North Dakota was supported," Burgum said. "States were respected, and what we were doing across agriculture and energy and creating electricity - We were supported. Now, under President Biden, I have the same job description. I'm governor of this great state, but my job has completely changed."
As for Slotkin, the Holly-based congresswoman widely considered to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for outgoing U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow's seat gathered with leaders of multiple reproductive health groups to focus on the issue of reproductive options like abortion.
"They came for us, they came for our rights, they came for our daughters and our granddaughters," Slotkin said, referring to the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago that had guaranteed a nationwide right to abortion access.
Also in the March Quinnipiac poll, a combined 66% of respondents believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
"When a politician, especially in Michigan, figures out, they put their finger in the wind and they say, 'Huh, you know,' just like these ladies said, it's really not popular to be against choice, 'Bummer, I've been a real pro-life extreme advocate my whole career... but now it's not politically popular, so I'm going to soften my talking points. I'm going to say the people of Michigan made their decision, so I'll let states' rights kind of guide things,' not for one damn second will they protect you in our federal legislature," Slotkin said.
For Burgum, given what he's seen result from the Biden administration, Thursday in all-important Kent County meant promoting the message of a former President he believes is the best choice to occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"So, [my wife and I] decided, 'Hey, we should spend our time this year making sure that President Trump gets back in a Trump administration, gets back in the White House,'" Burgum said. "That's what we're doing, and that's why we're here today."
For Slotkin, Thursday in Kent County meant renewing the rallying call to protect what she and her allies see as a fundamental right to an all-important choice.
"They brought this fight," Slotkin said. "And we cannot let them win this fight."
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