Insider: James says he didn't seek permission from White House to run for governor
U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican from Shelby Township, said in an interview Thursday that he didn't seek the permission of President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance before launching his campaign to be Michigan's next governor.
His decision to run for governor leaves open a battleground U.S. House seat in Michigan's 10th District. Republicans currently hold only a narrow majority in the U.S. House, a majority that is expected to be tested in the 2026 mid-term election.
Asked if he sought input from the White House about running for governor, James told The Detroit News that he sought input from God, his wife, Elizabeth, and his three children.
"This is something that is bigger than anything else that I can imagine," James said. "(That) is helping the 10 million people in the state of Michigan. We consulted with my pastor. We prayed about it, and then, after having the family on the same page, we all jumped in together."
"I let them know what was going to happen," James said of Trump and Vance.
"Passion for service doesn't need permission," the second-term congressman added.
James, a businessman and military veteran who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, has been a longtime ally of Trump. The sitting Republican president's potential endorsement in the governor's race is expected to have a significant influence on the August 2026 Republican primary.
James is currently competing for the GOP nomination with former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, former U.S. House candidate Anthony Hudson of Grand Blanc Township and state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township. But others might join the race, including Republican former nominee for governor Tudor Dixon of Norton Shores, whom Trump endorsed in 2022.
In the Thursday interview with The News, James said officials in the White House were receptive to his campaign for governor. Trump recognizes the importance of Michigan, James said, noting that the president will visit Macomb County on Tuesday to mark his first 100 days back in the White House.
"We're really looking forward to working with the president and his administration to make Michigan great again," James said.
Common Cause: Whitmer must set special election
Common Cause Michigan, a nonpartisan group that has often backed Democratic voting policies, has now joined with Republicans in calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to set dates for elections to fill the vacant 35th District state Senate seat.
Former state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House on Jan. 3, leaving the residents of the 35th District without a representative in the Senate for more than 110 days.
Under Michigan law, it's up to the governor to decide when to call a special election — setting dates for a primary election and a general election — when a vacancy in the Legislature occurs.
"Michiganders don’t like it when their elected officials play partisan games," said Quentin Turner, executive director of Common Cause Michigan, in a statement Thursday. "Gov. Whitmer needs to rise above such tactics and set a date for the special election ASAP.
"The people of the 35th District deserve representation in Lansing. If the governor can’t put partisanship aside, the Legislature needs to change the law to prevent long delays in holding special elections."
The 35th District includes portions of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. McDonald Rivet, a former Bay City commissioner, won the seat in 2022 by 6 percentage points over Republican former state Rep. Annette Glenn, 53%-47%.
Republicans have contended that Whitmer has delayed setting the election days to preserve Democrats' narrow 19-18 majority in the Senate.
Senate endorsements start rolling in
Senate hopeful and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-White Lake Township, picked up endorsements from two sitting U.S. senators last week: GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Steve Daines of Montana.
Cotton is the chair of the Senate GOP conference, and Daines ran the Senate Republicans' campaign arm in the 2024 election cycle when Rogers ran for Senate and narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin of Holly by about 19,000 votes.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham, who launched her Senate campaign last week, also picked up her first major endorsement from Michigan's congressional delegation: Rep. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids.
"I call her the 'Get Stuff Done Girl' because I've seen firsthand the way she has protected Michigan jobs, stood up to China, and helped ensure America leads in tech and AI," Scholten said in a statement.
"She brings a deep understanding of what it takes to keep Michigan’s economy strong and hard-working families supported. But more than anything, Haley Stevens is a servant of the people — she puts Michiganders first every single day, and that’s the difference."
Long-term U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, reaffirmed last week that he's still seriously weighing a bid for Senate, despite Rogers' snagging the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
In a social media post, Huizenga said he was meeting with grassroots activists, donors and other stakeholders "who are looking to try a different play."
"They're looking for a new face," Huizenga said. "I had to be convinced myself that this was a winnable seat, and I absolutely am convinced it is if we do our jobs in the House right now. That is delivering on common-sense regulatory reform, making sure we put tax policy back in place that helps the American family, making sure we rein in the bureaucracies that have just been running amok."
Maddock rips Gulf of America deniers
During a committee hearing on Thursday, state Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, said that people who oppose the idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America "are the same people who hate America.”
Maddock made the comments while testifying in favor of his proposal to require state agencies and boards to use the phrase Gulf of America, after Trump signed an order on Jan. 20 attempting to ensure all federal references use the name Gulf of America.
“We’re doing this for the families and the kids who gaze upon the great Gulf of America and put their toes in the water, 'Look mom, I’m in the Gulf of America,'" Maddock testified.
He later said, "I don’t think it’s any coincidence the people opposed to this are the same people who hate America."
House Government Operations Committee Chairman Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, described Maddock's remarks as "compelling." His panel voted 3-2 to send Maddock's bill to the full House.
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From Lansing politics to small-town newspaperman
Lonnie Scott, the former executive director of the liberal political advocacy group Progress Michigan, is now getting his hands stained in ink — the kind that rubs off newsprint.
Scott, who has been a political consultant for about two years since leaving Progress Michigan, recently became the publisher of the Yale Expositor, a small weekly newspaper in the Thumb serving parts of rural Sanilac and St. Clair counties. He's taken on the job of running a small town newspaper specializing in news about local government, crime, farming and high school sports while also serving as the recently elected supervisor of Dexter Township in Washtenaw County. He resides in the Chelsea area.
Scott said Michigan Independent Media Group, a group of investors focused on buying and preserving weekly newspapers in so-called news deserts, recently purchased the Yale Expositor from James D. Brown and Barb Stasik, a brother-sister publisher-editor duo whose family had owned the paper for nearly 70 years. Scott is CEO of Buried Lede Media LLC, a management company affiliated with Michigan Independent Media Group.
“It’s been a lot of fun," Scott said of his venture into newspapering.
Founded in 1882, the Yale Expositor publishes about 1,200 copies per week, Scott said.
The Expositor doesn't publish a digital or online edition. The paper still only accepts cash or checks from subscribers and advertisers, an archaic business practice that Scott said he's working to modernize by accepting credit card payments.
In his first few weeks on the job, Scott said he has found that the local newspaper remains an indispensable part of their lives.
“I get a sense in Yale that everyone reads,” he said. “In these little communities, it’s still very important.”
Tweet of the Week
The Insider report's "Tweet of the Week," recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week goes to state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and all others celebrating Bring a Kid to Work Day on Thursday.
Hertel documented, through photos, his experience bringing his 5-year-old son, Benjamin, to the state Senate on Thursday.
pic.twitter.com/LtKxxmxl0R— Senator Kevin Hertel (@Hertelforsenate) April 24, 2025
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Insider: James says he didn't seek permission from White House to run for governor
