Vance Predicts Key Battleground State Will Become Part Of ‘Red Wall’ ‘Because People Are Sick Of Losing Their Livelihoods’

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance said on Wednesday that Democrat-controlled Michigan, a vital swing state in the 2024 election, would become part of a “red wall” of states, arguing that voters are fed up with leftist economic policies.

Vance spoke to supporters in Byron Center, a small town just south of Grand Rapids, where he focused on the economy. Former President Donald Trump’s running mate blasted “a generation of failed leadership” in Michigan and predicted that voters in the state would overwhelmingly turn out in support of Republicans in November.

“Thanks to a generation of failed leadership, Michigan has seen thousands of manufacturing jobs disappear. We have got to do better,” Vance said, according to The Detroit News.

“Michigan, people used to call it a blue wall state. I think Michigan is a red wall state now because people are sick of losing their livelihoods and losing their jobs,” he added.

Michigan has been listed in a group of states considered the “blue wall” given their streak of voting for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 1992 to 2012. Trump broke the “blue wall” streak in 2016 when he won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Under Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s leadership, Michigan’s job growth numbers have fallen behind the national average. After the state’s economy took a hit during Whitmer’s prolonged COVID lockdowns, it bounced back slightly but is far behind the pace of the rest of the country. Watchdog group Michigan Capitol Confidential reported in February that jobs in the U.S. were up 3.3% since the pandemic, but over the same time period, employment in Michigan had only gone up 0.3%.

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Michigan is also near the top of the list among states that have seen the most people move to another state. According to 2022 data from United Van Lines, nearly 168,000 people left Michigan, which was the fifth-highest number among any state. Around 30% of those who fled Michigan did so because of a job in another state. The Great Lakes State saw an especially high number of Gen Z residents leave, being the only state that saw more Gen Z adults flee than move into the state, according to U.S.  Census Bureau data analyzed by Zillow.

Michigan is completely controlled by Democrats, who hold the governor’s mansion, a majority in both chambers of the state legislatures, and both U.S. Senate seats. Trump won the state over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes. Biden then took the state in 2020 by more than 150,000 votes.

Trump led in the polling average in Michigan before Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the nominee, Trump trails in the state by 2.4 points, according to the latest average from Real Clear Politics.