TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Derrick Honeyman, Michigan Democratic Party Spokesperson
DATE: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
RE: John James Is Out For Himself, While Hurting Michigan
Michigan’s race for governor is one of the most competitive in the country in 2026, and after a crowded and contentious Republican primary that has forced John James to run to the far right, James now enters the general election weak, broke, and tied to an unpopular agenda that is hurting families every single day.
James’ total embrace of Trump’s price-hiking agenda, his record of corruption and self-enrichment, and his poor campaigning have created multiple challenges for his campaign that will ultimately result in James losing his third statewide election.
Meanwhile, Jocelyn Benson has won statewide twice, has a record of saving Michiganders time and money as Secretary of State, and is laser-focused on lowering costs as our next Governor. Yesterday’s election saw high Democratic turnout—with nearly 500,000 more voters voting in the Democratic primary for governor than the Republican primary.
In the months ahead, Michiganders will continue to see that James is only out for himself and has fully backed Trump’s presidency that has hurt Michigan families and wreaked havoc on our economy, small businesses, and manufacturing industry. Michigan Democrats are fired up to elect Jocelyn Benson as our next governor and defeat John James, who is only out for himself.
James Has Fully Backed Trump’s Cost-Raising Agenda
As a D.C. politician, John James has been a reliable vote for the worst policies of Donald Trump’s failed presidency. As he’s had to fight it out in a messy MAGA primary over the past year, James has gone to great lengths to tie himself to Trump and boost his Trump bona fides.
Trump is deeply unpopular in Michigan—with a record-high 63% disapproval rating—and James’ support for Trump’s policies will pose a major problem for him in the general election, with voters frustrated by Trump’s cost-raising policies that James has voted for. Veteran Michigan pollster Bernie Porn recently said after Trump’s visit to Michigan that “[Trump] is like an anchor around Republicans.”
- James voted for Trump’s price-hiking budget law that cut healthcare and raised prices—all to give tax cuts to millionaires like himself, with James seeing a direct personal benefit from Trump’s budget law.
- James ‘led the charge’ on the largest Medicaid cuts in history, which could force nearly 500,000 Michiganders to lose coverage. After voting to cut Medicaid in Congress, James has now kept the door open to ending Medicaid expansion entirely in Michigan. James previously called for repealing the ACA entirely and labeled it a “monstrosity.”
- James voted to protect Trump’s cost-raising tariffs, which have wreaked havoc on Michigan manufacturing. Since Trump’s first tariff announcement in April 2025, Michigan has lost 8,300 manufacturing jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- James voted for Trump’s chaotic war in Iran that has sent prices skyrocketing. While Michigan families have been squeezed, James voted to fund the war and said Trump was “on the right track” when asked about rising gas prices.
James’ Record of Corruption and Self-Enrichment
While he’s voted for Trump’s agenda, John James has a long record of only looking out for himself—including voting to give himself a tax cut, trading stocks while in Congress and failing to report them, a litany of campaign finance violations, and leading his family business that shifted jobs to China:
- James has enriched himself by making hundreds of stock trades—even violating the STOCK Act by failing to properly disclose more than 145 trades. In June, James’ family purchased stock in Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which James oversees through his position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. James’ committee regulates the development of data centers, and SpaceXAI, a SpaceX subsidiary, has been a major player in building data centers nationwide.
- James voted for Trump’s budget law in order to give tax cuts to millionaires like himself, with James seeing direct personal benefit.
- While James was president, his family company imported and exported auto parts from China, even as the companies he worked with shifted their production overseas and laid off thousands of Michigan workers. James has profited heavily from his family business—including purchasing a $2.7 million mansion in Grand Rapids, far outside his district.
- James faced $95,000 in fines for accepting more than $500,000 in illegal campaign contributions and fined again for using campaign money for personal use.
- James is funded by data center developers who want to use water from the Great Lakes to cool the data centers.
James Has a Republican Enthusiasm Problem
James and his advisors expected to run away with the Republican primary—but he’s spent his entire campaign facing intense backlash from Republican grassroots voters, barely showing up, failing in straw polls, and even getting into a big feud with the biggest county Republican party in Michigan. The Michigan Republican primary for governor became one of the most expensive and nastiest in the country—with bitter personal insults, lawsuits, and countless attacks flying amongst the candidates.
Throughout the primary, Republican voters have expressed disappointment with James for not showing up on the campaign trail and running for governor after previously losing two statewide campaigns. Just last week, a conservative leader in Oakland County told the Detroit Free Press that “John James is the most arrogant person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
This spring, James was booed by the crowd at the Michigan Republican Party’s convention, and after vacationing in Turks and Caicos during a government shutdown, James picked a public fight with the Oakland County Republican Party. The battle included public sniping, a petition calling on James to attend the debate, and both sides posting screenshots of emails and accusing each other of manufacturing outrage.
As James has struggled to connect with Republican primary voters, he’s increasingly embraced Trump’s 2020 election lies—including saying that he was “screwed” in his 2020 U.S. Senate loss, claiming the 2020 election was “rigged,” and standing by Trump on stage and parroting more election conspiracy theories.
Benson’s 5-to-1 Cash-on-Hand Advantage
Jocelyn Benson enters the general election with a 5-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over John James in the recent fundraising report—with James’ campaign nearly on life support after burning through cash in the costly Republican primary and a 134% burn rate during the recent period. Benson has raised $10.8 million since she launched her campaign, more than $4 million more than James.
With the general election sprint now beginning, James faces significant money challenges. James’ campaign only has $1.4 million cash-on-hand as of July 19, while his DeVos-funded super PAC, Mission Michigan, only has $1.8 million after being seeded by an initial $5 million investment from Pamella and Dan DeVos.
- James’ fundraising has largely been propped up by the anti-public schools DeVos family, who have contributed more than $6 million to his campaign and Mission Michigan. Dan and Pamella DeVos recently poured another $1 million into Mission Michigan, while James’ campaign received several max-out donations from multiple members of the DeVos family—including Betsy DeVos and her husband, Dick.
- James has a long history of doing the DeVos family’s bidding—in 2018, he sought to downplay his ties to Betsy DeVos, but then hired a family member after he received a $1 million campaign infusion. James has also long supported the DeVos family’s extreme anti-public school agenda that will hurt students and defund public schools.
While James flounders and is begging for dollars from the DeVos family, Benson has the resources and momentum to reach voters across the state about her plans to lower costs and raise wages.
Bottom Line
John James is a weak candidate who enters the general election with an extreme record of only looking out for himself while voting to cut healthcare and raise prices. James has already lost twice statewide, and so far in this election he’s raced to the far-right and embraced Trump’s disastrous agenda to make up for his no-show campaign and lack of grassroots energy. In November, John James will become a three-time statewide loser.
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