The Michigan Republican Party is facing its best opportunity in over a decade to capture the governorship, but deciding on a candidate has turned into a contentious online battle.
Rep. John James, with strong name recognition and support from President Donald Trump, seems positioned to secure the GOP nomination ahead of Michigan’s primary this Tuesday.
Despite being a West Point graduate and once a promising figure in the national GOP, James is encountering significant opposition from a vocal grassroots faction within the state party, which is backing his only remaining challenger.
“I think you’re gonna be surprised when this race comes down,” stated Oakland County GOP Chair Vance Patrick, who recently endorsed Perry Johnson, a businessperson and outsider candidate, in the final stretch of the race. “It’s getting really interesting.”
As James and Johnson move toward a showdown to decide who will face the anticipated Democratic nominee, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the campaign dynamics are becoming increasingly peculiar. Johnson has intensified his personal and aggressive attacks on James, who has been the frontrunner throughout the race.
Johnson presents an unusual profile for a leading contender, being best known for his ill-fated 2024 presidential campaign that followed a failed 2022 gubernatorial bid marred by a nominating petition controversy.
State party officials and grassroots activists have voiced both publicly and privately numerous grievances regarding James: missed debates early in the campaign, insufficient visits to certain state areas, and dissatisfaction over his decision to run for governor, leaving a contested House seat that Democrats are targeting.
Nonetheless, even those critical of James believe that Republican voters will eventually unite behind the nominee. Patrick, whose county includes parts of metro Detroit within James’ district, noted that his party received $13,350 from the Johnson campaign and emphasized that Republicans “will join lockstep behind the guy that wins the primary.”
This internal discord comes at a critical juncture for Michigan Republicans, who have observed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s eight-year tenure and her party’s significant statewide victories with discontent.
On the Democratic side, Benson has amassed a substantial $6.4 million campaign fund by mid-July, aided by a strong fundraising edge, although it pales in comparison to Johnson’s personal fortune. She is expected to defeat Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson for the nomination effortlessly.
Trump’s success in Michigan in 2024 is not guaranteed for Republicans, given their Senate candidate’s loss to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the same year. The GOP now faces challenges with rising gas prices linked to an unpopular war in Iran, creating nationwide difficulties for the party.
Securing a candidate who can attract independents and compete in this key swing state is crucial, some Republicans argue, and they have doubts about James’ ability to do so.
“There’s a large amount of Republicans that do not like him,” commented Hassan Nehme, a former vice chair of the Michigan GOP and state Legislature candidate, regarding some voters’ concerns about James’ voting history.
The Johnson campaign has unleashed harsh personal attacks on James throughout the race. Johnson has labeled James, one of the few Black Republicans in Congress and the only Black candidate in the race, as a “DEI candidate” and accused him of using the “race card” during a recent debate. James has responded by calling Johnson “desperate.”
The campaign has also circulated an unfounded rumor about James’ personal life, sharing social media posts that attack him without evidence.
Tori Sachs, a senior adviser to the James campaign, described Johnson’s tactics as “lies” that reveal “a desperate, career candidate who has no grasp on reality and no friends that he didn’t buy.”
“Never-Trumper Perry Johnson has burned through over $70 million attacking Trump and James with lies, only to crash toward his third loss in three cycles,” she stated.
Johnson’s campaign strategy heavily relies on online engagement and grassroots support, utilizing artificial intelligence to create unusual ads, such as a six-minute video where he pursues James by foot, bus, and helicopter to debate him.
Brian Szmytke, a spokesperson for the Johnson campaign, reiterated that “John James is unelectable in a general election,” citing several campaign criticisms.
The campaign took a combative turn after Mike Cox, former state Attorney General, dropped out in mid-July. Prior to this, Republican officials had already expressed skepticism about James.
The personal nature of Johnson’s attacks on James signals desperation, according to John Sellek, a Republican political consultant based in Michigan.
“We’ve turned a corner since Cox got out, where the Perry Johnson campaign has been throwing haymakers on what look like less than prime issues because they know the end is here,” Sellek remarked.
This is despite Johnson’s massive financial advantage, having spent over $32 million on advertising compared to James’ $2.4 million, as reported by AdImpact.
“All the typical support mechanisms are moving toward James, even though he is being wildly outspent,” Sellek added.
James had skipped several debates earlier in the primary before participating in televised debates in July. He defended his absences by saying he was more focused on party unity than candidate disputes, though some voters saw it as disengagement.
Daire Rendon, the Republican Party chair for Michigan’s 1st District, which encompasses the Upper Peninsula, suggested James lacks connection with voters in her rural area.
Rendon, who faced charges related to an alleged scheme to unlawfully access voting machines after the 2020 election, commented that “we don’t see John James much.”
“They are going to gravitate towards candidates who spend time learning about [the Upper Peninsula], and who show up,” said Rendon, who pleaded not guilty and whose case is ongoing.
Some critics also question James’ decision to run for governor, given the contested House seat he’s leaving behind and the GOP’s slim majority. Trump initially criticized James’ gubernatorial ambitions before endorsing him in June.
“You don’t blow off 80 million in an investment to get you elected to Congress, and in one term leave,” commented Muskegon County GOP Chair Tim Cross. (James was elected to the House in 2022.)
Despite these challenges, James appears to have substantial grassroots support. Several Michigan Republicans praised James, including Peter Lucido, a former state legislator and Macomb County Prosecutor, who described James as “a proven leader, and he’s gonna continue to go ahead and govern and lead.”
Public and private polling suggests James maintains a lead. An internal poll conducted for the Cox campaign before his withdrawal showed James with 36 percent, Johnson with 23 percent, and Cox with 21 percent.
Cox supporters favored Johnson over James as their second choice, 44 percent to 38 percent.
The Cox campaign noted in a memo to donors that James “benefited by hundreds of millions of dollars targeted toward voters, specifically in Southeast Michigan, over the past several election cycles, coupled with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, creating a scenario where James’ lead is largely insulated.”
The James campaign is now unveiling endorsements from state representatives, senators, and conservative activists, with Trump’s endorsement as a key highlight.
At a rally outside Detroit in late July, Trump brought James on stage, where James falsely claimed for the first time that Trump won Michigan in 2020. James had previously acknowledged Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, although he later said he felt “screwed” during his Senate bid that year.
“You have to win,” Trump urged James onstage. “You have to win.”
