Trump-backed John James wins Michigan’s GOP primary for governor

Rep. John James has won Michigan’s Republican nomination for governor, NBC News projects.

James, who represents the Detroit suburbs, prevailed in the primary despite being vastly outspent by his opponent, wealthy businessman Perry Johnson.

President Donald Trump, despite harboring early concerns that a bid for higher office would put the two-term congressman’s competitive House district at risk, endorsed James and last week traveled to the state to campaign for him.

James, 45, will face Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, this fall in one of the most fiercely contested battleground states. Term limits prevent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, from seeking re-election.

An Army veteran who lost two Senate races before winning his House seat in 2022, James presented himself throughout the race as a capable public servant with applicable business experience, given his work with his family’s logistics company.

“This is an amazing state with all the great ingredients, but for the past seven-and-a-half years, under Gretchen Whitmer, we’ve been led to higher taxes, more crime on the roads — and frankly, the roads we have aren’t fixed yet,” James said during a televised debate last month, throwing back to Whitmer’s 2018 campaign vow to “fix the damn roads.”

“We’re going to work together to make sure that our children can read, to make sure that we put criminals in jail, and we hold those accountable who continue to let them back out,” James added. “And we’re going to be making sure that we come together to accomplish the mission of increasing hope and purpose with tested, positive leadership that has actually been tested from the battlefield to business to delivering for you right now.”

Johnson, 78, pounded the state with more than $31 million worth of ads, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. He drew on his work in quality control and improving business efficiencies while campaigning on a plan to eliminate the state’s income tax. Johnson also drew on his personal wealth, self-funding his run while declining political donations.

“In the state of Michigan, people are really tired of the politicians,” Johnson told NBC News in an interview last month. “I am an outsider. Nobody denies this fact. I’m the outsider of outsiders.”

James’ campaign spent a fraction on advertising — $2.8 million, according to AdImpact.

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One potential factor in the results was the absence of former state Attorney General Mike Cox, who dropped out of the primary on July 17 and threw his support to James. Several polls had shown Cox grabbing a substantial share of the Republican vote and raised the possibility of an unpredictable three-way split that could have benefited Johnson.

Meanwhile, the general election challenge eased a bit for Democrats in May when former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan ended his independent bid for governor. Duggan, a longtime Democrat, had expressed disappointment with both major political parties but caught attention — and grief — from Democrats who noted his reluctance to aggressively criticize Trump.

Michigan voters have not elected a Democrat to succeed a Democrat as governor in more than 65 years.

Benson deputy campaign manager Alyssa Bradley wrote in an email that the secretary of state “begins the general election with something no other candidate can claim: a record of delivering.”

An accompanying campaign memo took a parting shot at both Republican candidates for governor.

“John James and Perry Johnson spent this year lobbing personal attacks at each other and competing for Donald Trump’s attention, not talking to Michigan families about the cost of housing, healthcare, or keeping the lights on,” the memo read. “Both Republican candidates focused on election denying and Donald Trump, while Jocelyn has stayed focused on the issues affecting Michigan families every day.”