LANSING — In response to Donald Trump endorsing two-time statewide loser John James in the Republican primary for governor, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
“John James is a two-time statewide loser who while in DC has voted in lockstep with Donald Trump’s agenda of raising gas and grocery costs, cutting healthcare, and wreaking havoc on Michigan’s economy. With his campaign floundering in the face of a messy primary, James is hoping that Trump will bail him out—but after Trump’s endorsed candidates recently flopped in Iowa and Georgia, this MAGA primary is far from over.
“No matter who emerges from this costly Republican primary, they’ve made themselves inseparable from the toxic, corrupt, and cost-raising president. Michigan Democrats look forward to defeating whichever extreme Republican emerges in August.”
BACKGROUND:
- While in DC, John James has voted to protect Trump’s cost-raising tariffs and voted for Trump’s price-hiking tax law that cut Medicaid and failed to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit. James also voted against a bipartisan bill that would’ve extended the ACA tax credits. James has kept the door open to ending Medicaid expansion entirely in Michigan, and he voted in support of Trump’s cost-raising Iran War.
- The GOP primary has gotten increasingly expensive, with Perry Johnson spending more than $20 million so far, while James’ campaign has spent $1.2 million and the DeVos-funded pro-James PAC Mission Michigan has spent $3 million so far. Last month, Mike Cox launched a $1 million ad buy.
- The Republican candidates have been embracing Trump and his cost-raising policies—even as Trump’s polling is deeply underwater in the state and two-thirds of Michiganders say that prices have risen because of Trump.
- The Detroit Free Press recently noted that no Trump-endorsed candidate has ever won a statewide general election in Michigan.
###
