Rep. John James secured the Republican nomination for Michigan governor on Tuesday, setting the stage for a general election contest against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
James, a two-time Senate candidate who has represented parts of suburban Detroit since 2023, defeated businessman Perry Johnson in the Republican primary. The Associated Press called the race for James at 10:24 p.m. EDT, with him leading 50% to 36% as approximately a fourth of the votes were counted.
James, who received backing from President Trump, was widely considered the front-runner. His position was strengthened as former state Attorney General Mike Cox, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, and Michigan Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt withdrew from the race and endorsed him.
"A West Point Graduate, Combat Pilot, Brave Iraq War Veteran, Successful Businessman and Job Creator, and now, as a Highly Respected U.S. Congressman, John has proven he has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results," Trump stated on Truth Social.
During the primary campaign, Johnson, who had previously run for Michigan governor in 2022, made personal attacks against James. Johnson referred to James as a "DEI candidate" and accused him of using the "race card." Johnson also promoted unsubstantiated rumors of an extramarital affair by James, which the congressman's campaign strongly denied.
Before his election to Congress, James unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020. In the 2020 race, he came within 1.7 percentage points of defeating incumbent Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
In the current gubernatorial race, James trails Benson by 7.3 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Benson has served as Michigan's secretary of state since 2019. She won her primary contest against Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson with a decisive 85-16% margin, based on less than a fifth of the vote tallied.
The Republican Party has not held the Michigan governorship since Rick Snyder was elected to his second term in 2014.