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 o...