Michigan Ads Promote Woke Values to Attract Newcomers and Offset Population Loss

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to supporters at a rally in Pontiac, Mich. on Nov. 6, 2022. Sarah Rice/Getty Images

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has spent $30,000 on digital advertisements in an apparent effort to draw left-leaning young workers to the Great Lakes State to offset its declining population.

According to its website, MEDC is a quasi-governmental organization guided by a pro-growth mission statement that lists “promoting Michigan’s strong image worldwide” as one of its top priorities.

In a number of recent social media posts, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, set the theme for the new ad campaign.

“My message is simple. No matter how you identify or who you love, there is a home for you here,” she wrote in one post.

Then, in an oblique reference to abortion rights and an overt jab at the policies of conservative states, Ms. Whitmer wrote, “In Michigan, we will continue defending fundamental rights and competing with the states passing bigoted bans to ensure anyone can make it in our state.”

In another post, the governor extends this invitation, “If you’re looking for a state that respects your fundamental right to be yourself, come to Michigan.”

The ads, containing information about Michigan’s progressive laws, pro-LGBT culture, and easy access to abortion, have targeted states such as Florida, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The Michigan programs stand in stark contrast to the more socially conservative policies of these states.

Pro-abortion supporter Michigan resident Daniel Smith, his wife, and his two daughters attend the Bans off Our Bodies march in Washington on May 14, 2022 Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, took issue with the Whitmer administration’s tactics.

In an email to The Epoch Times, Kemp stated, “If the State of Michigan believes in wasting taxpayers’ dollars on bragging about their disregard for life is an effective tool to attract workers to their state, they'll be in for quite the surprise.

“Unlike Michigan, Georgia’s population continues to grow, and our low cost of living environment, exploding and diverse economy, and historic investments in healthcare, education, and public safety will continue to attract Americans from all over the country to help us fill the thousands of new jobs being created.”

The Epoch Times reached out to MEDC’s media department, asking how the markets in which the ads are being placed were selected. The MEDC did not respond by press time.

Michigan State Sen. John Damoose, a Republican, said in an Aug. 21 press release, “The advertisement does not represent the views of all Michiganders…This is not how to promote what Michigan has to offer.”

Mr. Damoose said he would vigorously oppose the use of taxpayers’ dollars to pay for such an ad campaign.

MEDC officials said in a statement to the press that the $30,000 expenditure is just an opening salvo of an advertising campaign designed to help reverse the trend toward a population decline that is beginning to hamstring Michigan’s economy.

The Need to Re-populate Michigan

The negative ramifications for Michigan of a declining population were outlined in a joint study released earlier this year by the non-profit Citizen Research Council of Michigan (CRCM) and Altarum, a non-profit, quality-of-life research foundation.

The study found that the state has fallen behind other states not only in population growth but also in jobs, earnings, health, educational achievement, and the quality of public services.

The study showed that from 2000 to 2020, only West Virginia fared worse than Michigan in maintaining its population. The Mountain State posted a loss of one percent of its people, while Michigan gained one percent.

Michigan’s anemic growth rate contrasted sharply with the nation’s total population growth of 18 percent during the same period.

In the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Michigan’s population decreased. The decline continued in 2022.

Because more people are expected to move out of Michigan than move in, over the next 30 years, the net loss of people is expected to exceed 270,000, according to the study.

With young people leaving the state in droves in search of better opportunities, the study projects that by 2030, the working-age population (ages 18 to 64) will shrink by 150,000, while the number of retirees will increase by 450,000.

“These population trends will affect the talent pipeline, the level of employment, the demand for goods and services, the tax base and fiscal environment,” the research said.

The impact on property values, school funding, and health care services was also seen as negative by the study.

On June 1, 2023, Ms. Whitmer issued an executive order creating a 28-member commission made up of government officials, business leaders, academics, and social activists tasked with reversing, or at least stabilizing the dismal demographic trajectory.

Looking for Answers Through In-migration

The CRCM-Altarum study sees international migration as another component of repopulating the state, saying that Michigan stands to gain about 20,000 people per year from foreign countries.

To make Michigan more attractive to foreign immigrants, the study recommends accelerating efforts to provide housing and budgeting more money for English language instruction.