Trump-backed John James wins Michigan’s GOP primary for governor

BREAKING NEWSAug. 5, 2026, 2:13 AM UTC2026 Election2026 ElectionTrump-backed John James wins Michigan’s GOP primary for governorNBC News projects the Detroit-area congressman beat self-funding businessman Perry Johnson and will face Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the general election.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Rep. John James will face Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the gubernatorial election this fall. Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Henry J. GomezRep. John James has won Michigan’s Republican nomination for governor, NBC News projects.James, who represents the Detroit suburbs, prevailed in the primary despite being vastly outspent by his opponent, wealthy businessman Perry Johnson.President Donald Trump, despite harboring early concerns that a bid for higher office would put the two-term congressman’s competitive House district at risk, endorsed James and last week traveled to the state to campaign for him.James, 45, will face Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, this fall in one of the most fiercely contested battleground states. Term limits prevent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, from seeking re-election.An Army veteran who lost two Senate races before winning his House seat in 2022, James presented himself throughout the race as a capable public servant with applicable business experience, given his work with his family’s logistics company.“This is an amazing state with all the great ingredients, but for the past seven-and-a-half years, under Gretchen Whitmer, we’ve been led to higher taxes, more crime on the roads — and frankly, the roads we have aren’t fixed yet,” James said during a televised debate last month, throwing back to Whitmer’s 2018 campaign vow to “fix the damn roads.” “We’re going to work together to make sure that our children can read, to make sure that we put criminals in jail, and we...