The race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District is generating national attention as Republicans attempt to tie their Democratic opponent to a controversial deal with a Chinese Communist Party-backed company.

Michigan Republicans are calling on former Democratic State Sen. Curtis Hertel, who is currently running to represent Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, to break his silence on a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) he signed in order to obtain details on controversial plans to use taxpayer funds to help build an electric vehicle battery plant in west Michigan owned by a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The plant, which was announced by Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2022, was set to get millions in incentives as part of a deal with Michigan lawmakers and Green Charter Township, with promises of bringing over 2,000 jobs to the area.

But the project quickly drew the ire of local voters, in large part due to the company behind the plant, Gotion Inc., being a subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech, which has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. 

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Last fall, local voters ousted five of the seven township board members over their support of the project, while the other two members resigned.

That controversy has now bled over into the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, one of the few true toss-up House races in the state, thanks to Hertel being one of several lawmakers from both parties to sign the NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that allowed them to learn about and negotiate details on the proposed plans for the plant.

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vacating her seat in Michigan’s 7th District to pursue a run for U.S. Senate, recently spoke out against the Gotion deal, further intensifying calls on Hertel to do the same.

“To me, until there’s a national security vetting, I don’t love the idea of moving forward on any project or any sale of farmland” to a Chinese entity, Slotkin told reporters at a campaign event earlier this month. “I believe that we need to not just think about economic [aspects], but also about the national security implications of Chinese-affiliated companies.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin. (Getty Images)

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“Hertel must answer whether or not he agrees with his comrade pal Elissa Slotkin, and if he regrets signing the NDA to sell out Michigan taxpayers to the CCP,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella.

The controversy over the plant has also garnered attention in the presidential race, with former President Donald Trump saying on Truth social last month that he is “100% OPPOSED” to the plant, adding that Gotion “would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.”

Meanwhile, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, highlighted the controversy during a campaign stop in Michigan last week.

“I think the most important thing is we have to stop paying Chinese manufacturers to manufacture, whether it’s here or overseas,” Vance told reporters in Michigan after his speech. “We want to build an American manufacturing industry and an American middle class. If we want to pursue these policies, let’s do them for Americans and American businesses.”

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Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks at NMC-Wollard Inc. / Wollard International on August 07, 2024 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

But questions over Hertel’s involvement in the project continue to be the focus of Michigan Republicans, most notably after it was reported last year that Hertel was on of several Democratic lawmakers in the state to receive funds from a Political Action Committee (PAC) linked to the law office of Warner Norcross + Judd, a firm acting as a foreign agent to represent Gotion.

According to a Fox News report last September, the firm’s PAC donated $2,400 to the state campaign for Hertel, who represented Michigan’s 23rd State Senate district from 2015 until January.

One lawmaker who did not sign an NDA related to the project is former Republican State Sen. Tom Barrett, Hertel’s opponent in the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Barrett has also seized on the controversy, arguing Hertel owes people an explanation for his involvement with the project.

“Curtis Hertel, a 22-year career politician, owes the people of Mid-Michigan an explanation as to why he signed a secret NDA to give $175 million of their tax dollars to a CCP-backed company,” Barrett told Fox News Digital. “The fact that he took money from foreign agents on behalf of Gotion should disqualify him from Congress.”

Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Hertel campaign communications director Sam Kwait-Spitzer dismissed the claims by Republicans as a “false attack.”

“Curtis signed no NDA with Gotion, and Tom Barrett is trying to cover for his own record of voting against 5,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs here in Mid-Michigan and trying to cede the future of the auto industry to China,” he said.

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The man arrested at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon prolifically posted on social media about world events and politics, and had at least 100 run-ins with police, public records show. 

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after allegedly pushing the muzzle of an AK-47 through the chainlink fence outside of where Trump was golfing. Trump was not injured during the incident, and was safely escorted away from the area, officials and the campaign reported Sunday.

Routh currently resides in Hawaii, after spending the majority of his life in North Carolina, where he worked construction, including owning a company called United Roofing, a background check conducted by Fox Digital shows. 

Fox News Digital poured through the suspect’s alleged social media accounts Sunday afternoon, and found he prolifically posted about Trump, the war in Ukraine, the 2020 election and other world events. 

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Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

“I feel lucky to have been born in America, with freedom and opportunity and hope that I do not waste such a valuable thing; to do more and take less,” Routh’s apparent X account biography declares. 

In 2020, during the presidential primary, the X account said: “I was not supporting Bernie, but now I am; as sleepy Joe stands for nothing; no plans, no ideas, just as limp as hillary.  Bernie…….give them hell…..fight to the death…”

The account also weighed in on Trump’s assassination attempt in July, calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to visit with those injured at the Pennsylvania Trump rally, because “Trump will never do anything for them.” 

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“You and Biden should visit the injured people in the hospital from the Trump rally and attend the funeral of the murdered fireman. Trump will never do anything for them….show the world what compassion and humanity is all about,” he said in a reply message to Harris’ account on July 17. 

“You should visit the victims in the hospital of the trump rally victims and attend the funeral of the fireman that died; Trump certainly never would. SHOW THE WORLD WHAT REAL LEADERS DO,” he wrote in another X reply to President Biden. 

In another X post published on April 22, Routh appeared to quote a commonly used phrase by the Harris campaign, declaring: “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”

“Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA …make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot afford to fail. The world is counting on us to show the way,” the account posted ahead of Biden dropping out of the race in July and Harris ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket. 

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Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

The X account appearing to belong to Routh also said that Trump was his “choice” in 2016, before completely backtracking during the 2020 election. 

“While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retar—; I will be glad when you gone,” he posted on June 11, 2020. 

The X account appearing to belong to Routh also repeatedly issued messages related to the war in Ukraine, posting to X that he was ready to fly to Ukraine to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“I am flying to Ukraine to fight.  We need to launch a media campaign to encourage every human around the globe to meet in Ukraine and join in the fight.  We need hundreds of thousands of civilians to make the cost of war high for putin and a flood of fighters,” he posted on Feb. 17, 2022. 

Following repeated messages declaring his intention to fight on behalf of Ukraine, he posted in April that he was in Kyiv. 

“I am here in kyiv and want to use Independence Park to create a tent city of all the foreigners here in support to get thousands more foreign civilians to come and support Ukraine,” the account posted. 

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The New York Times published an article, “Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker,” last year that also quoted a man named Ryan Routh, describing him as a former construction worker from North Carolina who traveled to Ukraine. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on Thursday, in Tucson, Arizona.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Routh, the outlet reported, was seeking Afghan soldier recruits who fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. “Mr. Routh, who spent several months in Ukraine last year, said he planned to move them, in some cases illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He said dozens had expressed interest,” the outlet reported. 

“We can probably purchase some passports through Pakistan, since it’s such a corrupt country,” he told the New York Times in an interview last year. 

A background check reviewed by Fox News Digital found that Ryan Wesley Routh from has had repeated run-ins with law enforcement spanning decades in North Carolina. 

A majority of the arrests included ones for simple possession, driving without a license, driving with an expired registration, driving without insurance. 

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In 2002, the Greensboro News & Record reported Ryan Routh was arrested after barricading himself in United Roofing’s office in a three-hour standoff. 

Routh had been pulled over by police during a traffic stop, but put his hand on a gun during the stop, sparking him to drive to United Roofing and barricade himself in the building, the outlet reported at the time. He was arrested without incident after the stand-off. 

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on September 04, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Trump and Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris continue to campaign across swing states as polls show a tight race prior to next week’s presidential debate in Philadelphia. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch)

He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction,  resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving while license revoked. State records show he was sentenced to probation in the case. 

Background records show Ryan Routh is divorced, and moved to Hawaii from North Carolina around 2017. 

A LinkedIn profile appearing to belong to Routh details that he is now the owner and operator of a construction company called “Camp Box Honolulu,” which is described on the account as a company that builds “simple economical structures to help address the highest homelessness rate in the United States due to unparalleled gentrification.” 

“Having passed along any meager remnants of myself in North Carolina and relocated to Oahu, I currently build very simple housing structures for the less fortunate and pursue a wide range of other creative projects towards developing unique products and devices as well as community improvement projects. I am constantly looking for collaborative opportunities which yield the most public impact for the improvement of our society. I would tremendously enjoy the invitation to join any monumental worthy cause to bring about real change in our world. I am certainly free to relocate to any remote location on the planet that might render the most positive impact, or right around the corner creating something unique and magical,” the LinkedIn page stated. 

His previous company, United Roofing, earned one star reviews on Yelp, including a review in 2016 that said: “As a military member trying to buy a home before returning from a deployment the proprietor, Ryan Routh, insulted me for trying to buy a house site unseen as many military members do returning from over seas.”

A prominent pro-life group isn’t pleased with ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis over a fact-check of former President Trump. (Win McNamee)

The arrest Sunday has been described by FBI as “what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”

Routh was allegedly armed with an AK-47 and was able to push the muzzle of his gun through the chainlink fence outside the Florida golf club, authorities said. He was located about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump. Secret Service spotted Routh and opened fire, according to authorities. 

Routh fled, but was later stopped by authorities and arrested. 

Trump assured supporters and the public shortly following the incident that he was safe and well. 

“There were gunshots in my vicinity but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” he posted in a campaign message. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER.” 

An assassination attempt against Trump nearly claimed his life in July during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump was left with an injury to his ear when shots rang out at the rally, while a rally-goer was fatally shot and two others injured. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.