John James Announces US House Bid in Newly Drawn Suburban Detroit District

John James, the Republican's Michigan U.S. Senate candidate, speaks to a media outlet during an interview in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 7, 2018. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

John James, a two-time Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, has announced his intention to run for the U.S. House in Michigan’s newly drawn 10th Congressional District.

James, an Army veteran and owner of an automotive logistics firm, made the announcement in a Twitter post, portraying himself as a political outsider.

“I fought on the battlefield for American lives and in business for good-paying jobs that fuel livelihoods,” James wrote. “I will continue to fight for the hardworking families in Michigan’s 10th district as today I announce my run for Congress.”

In a video attached to the announcement tweet, James said he is “not a career politician” but insisted that he “does know how to create Michigan jobs.”

“Here [in Detroit], politicians take care of themselves and leave this town millionaires while back in Michigan people struggle just to make ends meet. I don’t believe politicians deserve preferential treatment.”

James also noted that as a business owner, he has taken care of his employees. For Rust Belt voters, who have a long history of unionization and collective bargaining, this could be a compelling issue.

“My employees are on the same health care plan that my family is on,” James said. “That’s the way it should be.”

James also vowed to focus on improving Michigan’s education standards.

In a 2017 report on the state of Michigan education, Gov. Rick Snyder said: “The urgency could not be greater. While it is difficult to face, the data are clear: Michigan children are falling behind.”(pdf)

In Detroit, the situation is even more dire. According to data compiled by Public School Review, Detroit grade school students have only 12 percent proficiency in math on average, compared to 39 percent across the state of Michigan, and a reading proficiency of 18 percent, compared to a 49 percent statewide average.

“I believe a quality education is a basic civil right,” James said. “Students in Michigan are behind, parents are desperate, and teachers are at their wits’ end.”

The district that James is running in, created in accordance with the results of the 2020 census, covers parts of Macomb and Oakland Counties in southeast Michigan.

In the 2020 election, Macomb County preferred President Donald Trump to Joe Biden, voting to reelect Trump 53.4 percent to Biden’s 45.3 percent. Oakland County, in contrast, preferred Biden, with 56.2 percent of the county voting for Biden compared to Trump’s 42.2 percent.

The UVA Center for Politics and the Cook Political Report have both pegged the newly drawn district as a favorable one for Republicans.

James ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate in both 2018 and 2020.

In 2018, James was defeated by incumbent Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who won 52.3 percent of the votes compared to James’s 45.8 percent.

In 2020, James competed against Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, doing much better than he had in 2018. Peters reportedly defeated James by only a margin of 1.7 percent, winning 49.9 percent of the vote against James’s 48.2 percent. James initially refused to concede, citing concerns over potential election fraud.

The election was the second-tightest Senate race in 2020, falling behind only Georgia, which saw Jon Ossoff beat Republican challenger David Perdue by a margin of just 1.2 percent.

Both elections were heavily scrutinized for fraud, and one recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed that a sizable portion of Republicans and independents, in addition to around 1 in 10 Democrats, continues to have concerns about the integrity of the 2020 election.

The race is an important one for James, whose political aspirations could be in trouble if he loses another race.

There are currently no major Republican primary challengers who are likely to beat James for the nomination, but the red-leaning district may attract more would-be Congress members later this year.

Republicans are widely expected to retake the majority in the U.S. House from Democrats in November.