Rep. John James (R-MI) has won the Republican primary for Governor of Michigan.

James, who had an endorsement from President Trump, defeated businessman Perry Johnson by double digits.

“As of 12:44 a.m., James was leading with 51% of the vote while Johnson carried 35%,” the Detroit Free Press stated.

NBC News shared further:

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.

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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.”

“Because of YOU, we’re one step closer to bringing common sense back to our state. But we’re not done yet. 90 DAYS UNTIL WE SAVE OUR STATE FROM SOCIALISM!” James said.

Watch below:

More from the Detroit Free Press:

James has said he wants to phase out Michigan’s income tax, with an ultimate goal of eliminating it entirely. He also has called for repealing the state law that sets a 100% clean energy standard for Michigan by 2040. James also seeks a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” to allow parents to opt their child out of “instruction on controversial subjects.” And he proposes a “COVID Legal Enforcement Accountability & Relief” program that promises to refund individuals and businesses fined for COVID-related violations.

While he and Johnson agreed on many major policy issues, the two fought in a bitter primary that divided party activists.

Lisa Losier, 54, of Bloomfield Township, voted early to support James. “He’s just a really stand-up guy,” Losier said. She was glad to see him get Trump’s endorsement, who she also supports, and she likes James’ chances in the general election in November.

But James Dan Urbaniak, 54, of Green Oak Township, who voted for Johnson, was apprehensive when weighing whether to vote for James in the general election.

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Johnson poured almost $30.8 million of his own money into his bid as of late July, a stunning sum that he spent mostly on advertising, according to campaign finance reports. He relentlessly attacked James on the campaign trail, describing him as a two-time loser who lost both of his statewide bids for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020.

James went on to win a competitive seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Macomb and Oakland counties. The congressman has become a household name for conservatives with frequent appearances on Fox News and Newsmax.

 

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