LANSING — Two-time statewide loser John James declined to answer questions from CNN about who won the 2020 election—and wouldn’t even commit to certifying the 2028 presidential election in Michigan if elected governor. 

It’s the latest instance of James embracing Donald Trump’s false election conspiracy theories. Appearing with Trump at a rally in July, James said that Trump won Michigan three times, and the day after receiving Trump’s endorsement in June, James said that the 2020 election was “rigged and manipulated” against himself and Trump.

Last fall, James said that he was “screwed” in his own 2020 Senate loss and vowed “consequences” if elected governor. James has fully backed Trump’s election denial lies—but he said in a 2022 interview with PBS that Joe Biden was duly elected. 

When asked about his “Trump won three times” comment last week by WLNS, James shamelessly said that he was referring to Republican primaries—an embarrassing spin even from a two-time statewide loser like James. 

“John James is an extreme MAGA election denier who continues to peddle Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories,” said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “While Michigan families are being squeezed by Trump’s cost-raising policies, his illegal tariffs, and his disastrous Iran War, James spends his days bending the knee to Trump. John James is too extreme for Michigan.” 

Read more below. 

CNN: 2020 election skeptics seek governor’s offices in battleground states

• Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona, Rep. John James in Michigan, state treasurer Stacy Garrity in Pennsylvania, and Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin are four candidates whose records on 2020 range from falsely stating Trump won their state to actively trying to block Joe Biden’s victory.
• In response to CNN’s questions, three of the candidates – Tiffany, Garrity and Jackson – acknowledged that Biden won the election in 2020 and committed to certifying the winner of the 2028 presidential election if they are elected governor.
• In Michigan, James narrowly lost his 2020 Senate race. He then launched a campaign for the state’s 10th Congressional District in 2022, and he acknowledged that Biden was duly elected. However, after receiving Trump’s endorsement for his 2026 campaign for governor, James declared on a podcast that the 2020 election was “rigged and manipulated” against himself and Trump.
• James also falsely alleged that Trump, who lost Michigan to Biden in 2020, won the presidential election in Michigan three times.
• James did not respond to CNN’s questions on who he believed won the 2020 election or if he would commit to certifying the 2028 presidential election results should he be elected. His campaign, however, did provide a statement criticizing his opponent, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, for her oversight of elections in the state.

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