Two-term Rep. John James (R-Mich.) and his endorsement from President Donald Trump on Tuesday appear to have held off self-funding businessman Perry Johnson in the Republican primary for the Michigan governor’s race.James, 45, a recently converted adherent to Trump’s lie that he won Michigan in 2020, will face the winner of the Democratic primary, which on Tuesday evening appeared to be Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state.James had previously agreed, accurately, that Democrat Joe Biden won Michigan in 2020, but during a Trump appearance in Oakland County last week, lied that Trump had won the state in all three of his presidential runs.Rep. John James (R-Mich.) speaks before President Donald Trump at the General Motors Proving Ground on July 27, 2026, in Milford, Michigan.AP Photo/Paul SancyaJohnson, who made his fortune building and marketing a quality control consultancy, spent $30 million of it attacking James as part of the political establishment because he is a member of the House and a “DEI candidate,” presumably because he is Black. Johnson previously ran for Michigan governor in 2022 and spent $26 million of his own money running for president in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing Trump.All that advertising money and online presence this time, however, failed to overcome James’ statewide name recognition — in both 2018 and 2020, he was the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate but lost both times — and the endorsement from Trump, which continues to carry great weight in a Republican primary election despite the president’s poor polling numbers overall.James’ choice to run for governor, though, could hurt his party’s chances of retaining the House, with the southeast Michigan seat he has held since 2023 now in play for Democrats to win in November.RelatedRepublican PartyMichigan2026 elections