What can we learn from political polarization in a Michigan swing county?

Marketplace correspondent Nancy Marshall-Genzer has been getting views on the economy from Kent County, Michigan — which went for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. There, she spoke to everyday consumers and businesspeople and asked them about the role the economy will play when they head to the polls this November.

The county, which surrounds Grand Rapids, isn’t just swingy; it’s divided. Marshall-Genzer joined “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio to discuss her findings during her time in Michigan. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

David Brancaccio: Now, you found that the economy was the top issue for the majority of the Donald Trump supporters you talked to, while people who support Kamala Harris there were mostly motivated by other issues. What can we learn from that?

Nancy Marshall-Genzer: People who prioritize the economy say they’re voting for Trump. And voters, of course, tend to blame the incumbent for the state of the economy as they see it. I should mention the unemployment rate in Kent County was 4% in June, which is still low historically. When a Democrat is in the White House though, Kent County Republicans say the economy is terrible; local Democrats say the same thing when there’s a Republican president. I talked about this with Paul Isely. He’s an economist at Grand Valley State University, which has campuses in Grand Rapids. He says this is a fairly recent phenomenon for the county.

Paul Isely: Politics is starting to influence people’s feelings about how good things are in ways that it didn’t 10 or 20 years ago.

Brancaccio: All right. So it’s a place with hardened, differing positions, and there’s data on what this does to local businesses?

Marshall-Genzer: Yeah, Isely releases a Grand Rapids Economic Forecast every year based on a survey of local businesses. He says this year, more than 70% of survey respondents said political uncertainty is having a negative impact on their business — and they’re talking about national-level politics but also local politics as parts of Kent County become more purple. Isley says these shifting sands make it hard for businesses to plan.

Isely: How do you invest knowing that there’s a probability that the opposite party could come in and change everything?

Brancaccio: And Nancy, for companies serving this polarized community, you ran into the awkwardness.

Marshall-Genzer: Politics is such a delicate subject there, David. I learned that firsthand when I was trying to set up interviews for my visit to the county. The local Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t talk to me. Neither would a local winery. They said they would have to stay out of politics because they “get harassed whenever anything is mentioned.” I also got rejections from some county food banks. I did find one business though that’s embracing politics — the Books & Mortar bookstore in Grand Rapids is unabashedly progressive. Manager Maggie Johnson told me that’s actually been good for the bottom line.

Maggie Johnson: We are a business, but we’re really a collective of human beings with thoughts and feelings about what’s happening in politics. And the more honest we can be with our customer base, the more trust I think we can build and the better response we end up having.

Marshall-Genzer: So Johnson says Books & Mortar is selling more books on issues like gun control and immigration and even books on what a slide into fascism looks like.