WRIGHT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance spoke in West Michigan Wednesday, opening his speech by calling Michigan “one of the most beautiful states in the union.”

“Are we ready to turn this state red and take the country back? Yes we are,” said Vance.

Speaking at Berlin Raceway and Entertainment Complex in Marne, he urged Michigan voters to “take this country back and give the nation the leadership it deserves” by voting for his running mate former President Trump and Mike Rogers, who is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Vance talked about importance of the automotive industry.

“Michiganders build things with their hands, they make things with their hands and Donald Trump and I are ready to lead a great American manufacturing renaissance. We’re going to make more in America and we’re going to do it with the hands of Michigan workers,” he said.

He said Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has “declared war on the Michigan auto industry and has said that she wants to force everybody to drive an electric vehicle.”

“I think Michigan autoworkers would join me in saying we need to build our own cars and Americans can drive whatever the hell they want to because this is the United States of America and we believe in freedom,” Vance said.

Vance took questions from local and national journalists. He was asked why Trump’s campaign has made so many stops in West Michigan.

“We’re going to be here every week, probably, me or President Trump, until the election, because this is such an important part of our state,” he said, adding West Michigan “exemplifies a proud American spirit of craftsmanship.”

One question asked what he would say to both Republicans and Democrats who are township, city, county and state clerks who say they are providing a secure and fair election. Vance said the problem originates higher, in the federal government.

“When I talked to local elections officials, a lot of times what they’ll tell me is they want the federal government to act to make our elections more secure because they want people to have faith in what they’re doing,” Vance said.

One person asked about West Michigan farmers who may employ migrant workers to staff their farms during the summer.

“If you’re a legal resident of this country … we want you to work, we want you to provide for your family and we want you to be able to live the American dream,” Vance replied. “A lot of farmers rely on a whole host of diverse labor pools, but they ought to rely on people who have the legal right to be here in this country.”

Vance ended his speech with an urge to vote, either on Election Day, early or by mail.

“We are not going to win this race unless we get out there and vote, and if we do we are going to make Donald Trump the next president of the United States,” he said.

Before Vance’s visit, Democrats said he was selling Trump’s “empty promises to Michiganders.”

“On the one side, we have Kamala Harris, a lifelong public servant who will invest in Michigan’s auto sector, build an economy that puts middle class families first.,” U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said during a news conference held at a UAW hall in Wyoming. “On the other hand, you have Donald Trump and JD Vance, who will ship our jobs to China in a heartbeat, line the pockets of their billionaire donors and leave working people out to dry.”

She argued that Trump’s proposed policies would “devastate Michigan workers” and “roll back the progress we’ve made in the auto sector over the last four years.”

“Vice President Harris has a plan to invest in the industries of our future, from electric vehicles to advanced manufacturing, and make sure American workers reap these rewards,” Scholten said. “She’s going to cut red tape and make it easier for businesses to build things faster in this country. She understands that this is how we’ll unlock the full potential of the American economy: Not by returning to the failed policies of the past, but by breaking new ground and forging a new way forward.”

She touted the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act as an example. 

Before heading to West Michigan, Vance was in Auburn Hills on the other side of the state. His visit comes a day after the lone vice presidential debate of the 2024 election.

Michigan is a vital state on the path to the White House. A poll conducted by Emerson College Polling, The Hill and WOOD TV8 indicated a tight race in Michigan: 49% of those surveyed said they would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and 47% said they would vote for former President Donald Trump. With the poll’s margin of error at plus or minus 3.2%, that’s a statistical dead heat.