Unease over China proves pivotal in US election races in Michigan

Swing state takes hawkish turn as candidates seize on mainland-backed EV battery plant to accuse one another of harbouring Beijing ties

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US congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and now US senator-elect for Michigan visits a polling station in Detroit on November 5, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Khushboo Razdanin Grand Rapids, Michigan

Published: 9:10am, 7 Nov 2024Updated: 1:30am, 8 Nov 2024

Democratic US Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin narrowly won a fiercely contested race in Michigan, edging out her Republican opponent Mike Rogers on Wednesday in a contest where depicting China as a threat to the state proved pivotal.

While Slotkin managed to prevail by a mere 18,000 votes, Democrats lost the US House seat she vacated. Republican candidate Tom Barrett, who hammered Democrat Curtis Hertel over alleged ties to China, flipped the seat by nearly 17,000 votes.

Political observers in Michigan highlighted the Republican strategy of stressing potential Chinese threats to boost the party in the rust-belt swing state, particularly a US$2.4 billion electric-vehicle battery plant by Shanghai-based Gotion High-Tech, which has drawn stiff local opposition over fears it is an instrument of China’s Communist Party.

Unlike Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who lost Michigan to President-elect Donald Trump, Slotkin distanced herself from her party on China, and that was despite the US vice-president’s endorsement of her candidacy.

The Michigan Democrat branded herself a “China hawk,” opposing Gotion and Chinese ownership of farmland and manufacturing facilities in the state.

Even amid Rogers’ loss, experts noted that the Republican exceeded expectations, mounting a tougher challenge to Slotkin than anticipated, largely due to his strong anti-China rhetoric.