GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Kent County conservatives erupted in December 2025 against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 2026 budget, which includes a 10-cent gas tax increase projected to cost Grand Rapids drivers $400 yearly. At a December 2 KCRP forum, over 300 attendees decried the measure as punitive overreach, linking it to inflation plaguing local families. Right-wing leaders frame this…
Grand Rapids’ 2025 crime surge—homicides up 25%, per Kent County data—has right-wing activists demanding Sheriff Michelle Lajoye-Young’s empowerment for federal immigration crackdowns. At a December 9 KCRP safety summit, speakers blamed unsecured borders for fentanyl floods and gang influxes, urging local-federal partnerships. This push, amid 300 overdose deaths, positions conservatives as guardians against Democratic neglect.…