Rep. John James has won the Republican nomination in the Michigan governor’s race over businessman Perry Johnson.
James handily won the race with 49.7 percent of the vote over Johnson’s 35.2 percent by the time analysts declared him the victor.
The Army veteran James lost two Senate races in Michigan before securing a U.S. House seat in 2022, which he won again in 2024.
“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.
“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.”
The stunning victory comes after Johnson reportedly “pounded the state with more than $31 million worth of ads, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm,” per NBC News.
“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,” it added.
James, however, spent only a fraction on advertising — $2.8 million.