TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Driving from Lansing to Traverse City over last weekend, it was hard to miss who certain Michiganders are rallying behind this election season. Leaving Lansing’s outskirts and weaving through the heart of Michigan, I encountered a steady stream of Trump-Vance signs and flags scattered across lawns, barns, and fields.

Signs of the times: middle-class & rural Michigan favors Trump-Vance.

The Trump-Vance signs from Lansing to Traverse City showed that they’re rooting for the Republican ticket by about a 20 to 1 margin over the Democratic ticket of Harris-Walz in the sign competition.

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Trump-Vance signs appeared on small farms, in yards with rusting trucks, and in towns where the local diner is the community’s epicenter. There’s a reason why the Trump message resonates here: it speaks to those who feel overlooked and undervalued. They want a candidate that represents them, not someone who is fighting for big government and against the interests of MAGA.

The city elite paint a different picture.

However, things change when you hit Traverse City’s downtown area. The city proper, which is brimming with cafes, wine bars, and upscale boutiques, is plastered with signs for Harris-Walz. These signs adorn $500,000+ homes – owned by folks who have enough money to afford both the home and the exorbitant property taxes in the city that have to be paid if you live within the city limits.

It’s a clear contrast to see who is supporting which presidential candidates: it’s the city of Traverse City, an elite enclave that seems disconnected from the political reality of finding it hard to afford gas and groceries, vs. the rest of Grand Traverse County and the rural towns that I passed by on my trip. Although Traverse City is a bastion of liberal residents and government, Grand Traverse County still has a Republican base and voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

Downtown Traverse: where Harris-Walz owns the view.

The dominance of Harris-Walz signs in Traverse City isn’t subtle. Their signs line sidewalks, fill windows, and pop up on manicured lawns taken care of by lawn services. It’s a telling image of a political divide between the city and the rest of the county, with wealthy city dwellers backing a campaign that promises a vision that doesn’t match the needs of the voters on the outskirts of their liberal community.

While Grand Traverse County isn’t exactly a “poor” county, the residents still have their struggles to afford to buy the basics ever since Democratic-induced inflation took over their lives. Add to that, the lack of workers in the area which have led to many stores closing, some permanently. Others continue to have limited hours and sometimes close unexpectedly.

And finding “affordable” housing is pretty much non-existent. The county is about as middle-class as you can get these days – but the residents are by no means getting ahead. They’re just lucky to keep their heads above water and keep their businesses open like many others in the country.

Campaign divides: wealth and politics on display.

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The sheer volume of political signs on both sides is much larger than during the 2020 election. Both the R’s and the D’s are more “courageous” to show who they are supporting this time around. And while Traverse City’s wealthier residents can afford to support candidates whose policies favor the elite and the “protected” among them, those living along the rural route to Traverse City choose candidates they believe have their backs.

Trump economic advisor Steve Moore, who travels all over the country, was on Hannity on Fox News recently and pointed out the same thing. He said, “If you go to the really rich areas of the suburbs, Kamala, Kamala…all you see is Kamala signs in the rich suburbs. When you go to the working class, middle class neighborhoods, it’s exactly the opposite, it’s Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump…but the rich are for Kamala. They are the ones who are financing her campaign.”

A tale of two voter bases.

According to Pew Research Center, wealthier voters tend to lean Democratic, with 53% siding with the party compared to 46% leaning Republican. This trend is mirrored in celebrity endorsements for Kamala Harris, coming from people far removed from the daily grind of paying for gas, groceries, and other essentials.

The sign disparity isn’t just about candidate preference – it’s a window into the growing political chasm between Michigan’s wealthier urban centers and its middle-class and rural heartlands. And it’s no different than the chasm in the rest of the country.