As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, Michiganian Congressman John James is seeking the Republican nomination to run for governor in November of 2026. He announced this decision a couple of weeks back and has been lining up endorsements and touring the state.
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James sat down with the Detroit News to answer some questions about what he would like to do as governor, and also what Donald Trump will announce this Tuesday when he is in Michigan. Of course, the question that was asked was something I mentioned could happen in an article a couple of weeks ago, when James first announced he was running.
Now, maybe you recall a couple of weeks back, there was a delegation of elected officials from Michigan at the White House for a meeting, and the 47th President actually praised the governor and also said this…
This month, Trump said he was working with Michigan leaders to keep Macomb County’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base “open, strong, thriving” ― teasing the possibility of new fighter jets.
“I think we’re going to be successful, governor. I think we’ll be very successful there,” Trump said about Selfridge in remarks in the Oval Office with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall standing nearby the president’s desk.
Whitmer had her “moment” when she covered her face with folders as the cameras were clicking. Gretch is such a card.
If you recall, the Michigan delegation, led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, was in Washington, D.C., a couple of weeks ago. Whitmer had her Infamous incident where she held up blue folders in the White House, trying to hide that she was there when everyone knew she was there.
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Yes, this is a real photo of our Governor. :woman-facepalming: pic.twitter.com/nUiMNB5CqA
— Meghan Reckling (@MeghanReckling) April 13, 2025
Believe it or not, I am truly going to miss her.
James hinted that Donald Trump is aware of the Selfridge Air National Guard base, which he talked about in the Oval Office session, and that he and the Defense Secretary are aware of how valuable the base is.
From the Detroit News:
Q: He’s not giving you a heads up, saying, ‘Hey, this is what I’m going to do?'”
A: We’ve had conversations … but … he actually said I could share this with you. He is very aware of Selfridge. He recognizes the great opportunity we have at Selfridge.
Now, that makes sense. Donald Trump is coming to Michigan the day before they celebrate his 100th day in office, and if he wants to make a big announcement about a military base, you’d best not step on his toes and leave it to POTUS 47 to handle it.
I also wrote in my piece last week that the lobbying had intensified to have Trump endorse early in some statewide Michigan races, to clear out the primary field and allow those candidates the ability to fundraise to get ready for an expensive race:
However, and this is a BIG however, there has been a lot of lobbying behind the scenes to get Trump to endorse earlier than most normal politicians would do so, 19 months before the general election in 2026.
The reason is quite simple. Michigan is a blue state that has twice turned red (or purple, depending on your math) in the past three POTUS elections, with both times the state going red when Donald Trump was at the top of the ticket. So if Trump is not leading the way, the folks down ticket, running statewide, have some problems to solve.
A Trump endorsement in the primary is almost a guaranteed winner, and the sooner you get that taken care of, the sooner you can start raising cash for the general election.
The 2026 cycle has four statewide offices in play, with a United States Senate seat, governor, secretary of state, and attorney general all up for grabs.
Current congressman John James has already announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination for Governor, which I wrote about right here.
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The News in its piece linked above also brought up this point:
Q: Do you expect an announcement about that or an endorsement in the governor’s race next week?
A: You’re going to have to ask them.
Q: I am asking you what you expect.
A: And I’m telling you what you can do. If you would like that answer, you can talk to the president.
Q: Fair enough. I tried.
A: I am focused on the things that matter the most to the people in Michigan. And when I’m talking to people around the state what they care most about is academic excellence, economic mobility and public safety. Those are the things that I’m focused on.
And I’m sure the president knows that I’ve been in his corner since 2018, and he’s been in mine since the same period of time. He knows who’s had his back and he knows who hasn’t, and he also knows how vitally important Michigan is to not only the economic strength of the United States of America but also to our national security. Our state, the arsenal of democracy. This is a state that’s been called on in world wars and a global pandemic. He recognizes that, and he appreciates that, and he loves Michigan. So I’m staying in his ear, and he is showing through his actions that he cares about Michigan.
Some people might think that sounds bad or good, depending on how you feel about James running, but I don’t think it is either way.
James and his team have been working to get the endorsement of Donald Trump each and every time that he has run for office, and he has been successful in that. Both times he ran statewide for the United States Senate, and then for his district in Congress, he gained Trump’s endorsement and trust in those races, also.
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The Michigan primary is over a year away, so it might be a little bit too early to jump in and endorse somebody, being that there are others who possibly still be considering jumping in that he may consider.
Either way, we will find out when Trump arrives here this coming Tuesday.