Trump-backed candidate lands GOP nod, setting up high-stakes governor showdown

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump's kingmaker status in Republican primaries was on the line Tuesday in Michigan's GOP gubernatorial nomination showdown – and the president passed the test. Republican Rep. John James, a two-time U.S. Senate nominee in the crucial Great Lakes battleground state who was endorsed by Trump in late June, topped multimillionaire businessman Perry Johnson to win the GOP primary , the Associated Press reported. The West Point graduate and Army Ranger who served multiple combat tours as an Apache helicopter pilot in the Iraq war will face off in a high-stakes and expensive general election battle with two-term Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democrats' gubernatorial nominee, in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The GOP primary between James and Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate, turned combative. Johnson, who is White, referred to James, one of the few Black Republicans in Congress, as a "DEI candidate" and in a recent debate accused James of playing the "race card." James, meanwhile, called Johnson "desperate." Johnson, who shelled out millions of his own money into his campaign, dramatically outspent James in the primary showdown. CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2026 RACES FOR GOVERNOR But James told Fox News on the eve of the primary that "nobody outworks a ranger," and "money isn't the only thing. People want someone who resonates with them, someone who has the proven leadership capability to turn the state around." James and Johnson were the final two Republican candidates in a nomination race that previously included former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and state Senate Republican leader Aric Nesbitt. They both suspended their GOP gubernatorial campaigns, but their names remained on the primary ballot. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Trump gave James a boost last month as he campaigned with the con…