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LANSING — Surviving a barrage of advertising and attacks from self-funded businessman Perry Johnson, US Rep. John James won Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday evening.
In a victory speech, James promised to “work every single day” to earn the trust of more voters as he heads to the general election.
“To every Michigander who feels politically homeless, who loves this state, works hard, and believes in common sense and wonders whether anyone in government still sees you, I see you,” he told supporters in Macomb County’s Harrison Township.
The Associated Press called the race for James at 10:24 p.m. He had a 50% to 36% lead over Johnson with an estimated 27% of all votes counted.
See the latest vote tally here:
James moves on to the Nov. 3 general election, where he’ll face Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a showdown between two political veterans with significant establishment and institutional support.
Backed by President Donald Trump, James campaigned on a broad policy portfolio in the primary, promising to focus on economic issues that are important to Michiganders, such as cutting costs and taxes, while also tapping into culture war passions through proposals like a “parental bill of rights.”
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Johnson, a businessman who campaigned on a promise to eliminate Michigan’s 4.25% personal income tax, poured nearly $32 million of his personal wealth into the race. It was the most expensive gubernatorial primary in Michigan history, according to AdImpact, a national tracking firm.
James, though, consolidated GOP support after Trump gave him his “total endorsement” in late June, prompting multiple candidates to drop out of the race and join the president in endorsing James.
Several members of the powerful DeVos family of west Michigan also supported James, contributing to both his campaign and a separate super PAC supporting him.
Fighting ‘communist socialism’
Michigan voters who backed James on Tuesday cited his congressional experience, along with his pledges to make a sharp break from term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and fight a growing wave of democratic socialism.
Warren resident David Yankovich, 66, told Bridge Michigan that his biggest issue in the election is “stopping communist socialism,” and he voted for James as the best candidate to lead the fight.
James criticized Benson in his Tuesday night victory speech, saying she “promises a new direction” for Michigan but “has been a part of the leadership that got us lost in the first place.”
He asserted Benson would work with Democratic US Sen. candidate Abdul El-Sayed to “impose a socialist agenda” on Michigan.
Johnson conceded the race to James shortly after the Associated Press’ call Tuesday evening.
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James narrowly lost his last statewide race, a 2020 campaign for US Senate. He eventually conceded to Democrat Gary Peters and later said Joe Biden had been duly elected as president. More recently, James has said he was “screwed” and falsely claimed that Trump won Michigan in 2020.
“I’m voting for John James because he’s going after voter fraud,” said Symone Wilkes, a 35-year-old Detroiter who said she followed the advice of her pastor, Lorenzo Sewell.
Heading to November
James heads to the general election looking to extend a streak: It’s been about 35 years since the same party held onto the Michigan governor’s office for more than two terms, something Benson is attempting to do by succeeding Whitmer, a fellow Democrat.
But Republicans have not won a statewide office in Michigan in more than a decade, and midterm elections tend to serve as a referendum on the White House, where Trump’s popularity has plummeted.
James, a 44-year-old military veteran, inherited part of a large family logistics and shipping business before running for political office. He lost bids for US Senate in 2018 and 2020 before he narrowly won a 2022 election to represent Macomb County in the US House. He was reelected in 2024.
Michigan voters spent weeks making up their mind in the primary. Ahead of Tuesday, the Michigan Department of State reported more than 1.3 million ballots had already been cast, either through absentee or early in-person voting, significantly more than in the August 2024 primary.
The GOP primary was particularly grueling. It began with nine candidates, most of whom attacked James early and often because of his perceived frontrunner status.
Former Attorney General Mike Cox, in particular, had alleged James’ family business had ties to China. But he endorsed James as he dropped out of the race in mid-July, later saying “iron sharpens iron.”
In the final stretch of the primary, Johnson had sought to cultivate resentment against James among grassroots Republicans, frequently mentioning James’ past election losses and decision to sit out early debates and forums.
Where does James stand on Michigan’s most pressing issues? Read his responses to our Bridge Listens questionnaire here:
Health care
Democracy, Transparency
Economy
Environment, energy
Education
