Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers‘s campaign team is making a final warning to voters of Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) about her alleged ties to China — an accusation both candidates have thrown at each other throughout the election cycle.
Slotkin and Mike Rogers, a former Republican House member, are both vying for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan currently held by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The Cook Political Report labels the seat a “toss-up,” but polling shows Slotkin leading Rogers 46.2% to 42.5%.
Now, a week before Election Day, the Rogers campaign has launched a new website, seeking to convince voters that Slotkin’s congressional record has harmed the livelihood of Michiganders.
The website states that “Michigan voters can’t trust Slotkin to stand up to China,” as Slotkin had allegedly signed a nondisclosure agreement to coordinate with Gotion, a Chinese-owned electric vehicle battery company.
The Slotkin campaign denied that she signed an NDA tied to the development of the Gotion plant.
“This is a completely false attack from national Republicans,” Antoine Givens, spokesman for the Slotkin campaign, said in a statement. “As a national security expert, Rep. Slotkin has dedicated her career to protecting the U.S. from foreign threats, and in Congress, she has been leading the charge to combat Chinese influence in critical supply chains and the auto industry. Rep. Slotkin never signed any agreement related to the Gotion project or the Chinese government.”
Multiple news outlets, including the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, have reported there is no evidence of Slotkin signing an NDA related to the Gotion project.
Slotkin did sign an NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, along with dozens of lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle, while the state was in negotiations for the Gotion battery plant. However, the NDA Slotkin signed was regarding two different economic development projects in her district.
Dating back to December of last year, the Rogers campaign has run advertisements that Slotkin signed an NDA related to the development of a Gotion plant.
The proposed plant is wildly unpopular with Michiganders. Green Charter Township, the township where the Gotion battery plant was selected to be built, has been battling to block its construction for months.
Many fear embracing electric vehicles may make the United States dependent on China, which is dominant in mining the minerals needed to build electric vehicle batteries. The Rogers campaign pointed out Slotkin voted on three occasions to set tighter pollutant emission standards for gas-powered vehicles. The EPA sought to the emission changes, a proposal that many view as a way of pushing for an electric vehicles mandate.
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Although declining in recent decades, the automobile industry in Michigan contributes $304 billion to the state’s economy and accounts for 21% of all U.S. auto production in 2022.
Some automobile manufacturers, such as General Motors, are embracing electric vehicles. Michigan voters remain divided as country and industry leaders seek to compete with China on their development.
