LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican Rep. John James announced Monday he’s running for Michigan governor in 2026, becoming the highest-profile GOP candidate in the race and leaving open one of the nation’s most competitive congressional seats.
The 43-year-old congressman, who represents a district north of Detroit, is jumping into the race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer just months into his second term.
James previously ran twice unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate before narrowly winning his House seat in 2022 by less than 2,000 votes. He won reelection in 2024 with a more comfortable margin, defeating Democrat Carl Marlinga by nearly 6 percentage points.
James joins a GOP field that includes the state's Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt. On the Democratic side, some high-profile candidates have already announced bids, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running as an independent.
James announced his bid Monday on social media.
“It’s time to get Michigan’s government out of fantasyland and back to common sense,” James said in a statement. “President Trump and I have been in each other’s corner through thick and thin for eight years — no reason that will end now. He’s doing his part to Make America Great Again, and I’ll do mine to bring prosperity and sanity back to Michigan.”
A military veteran and the first Black Republican elected to Congress from Michigan, James has long been viewed as a rising star in both state and national GOP circles. But he’s yet to break through statewide, having lost bids for U.S. Senate in 2018 to now-retired Democrat Debbie Stabenow and in 2020 to Sen. Gary Peters, who recently announced he won’t seek reelection in 2026.
James’ run for governor opens up Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, which covers parts of northern Detroit suburbs in Oakland and Macomb counties. Republicans hold a narrow House majority heading into a midterm cycle where they also control the White House — a combination that historically favors the opposition party.
Democrats have aggressively targeted the district since James flipped it. On Monday, former prosecutor Christina Hines launched a bid to win it back. Army veteran Alex Hawkins also has already entered the race as a Democrat.
