A tour boat on Muskegon Lake — Republican candidate for governor John James said Saturday he wants local government agencies to set Michigan’s approach to data centers, initially sidestepping questions in an interview about whether he would institute a moratorium on such developments.
James, a member of the U.S. House from Shelby Township, detailed his stance on what’s becoming one of the defining issues of this year’s election during two campaign stops in west Michigan, three days before Tuesday’s primary election.
“Lansing should not dictate to the locals,” James said at an event on a tour boat docked on Muskegon Lake near downtown Muskegon. “So that plan is going to be determined by the locals.”
He added, “If the locals want a solution that will lower their property taxes, increase funding for schools and first responders and the like, then I’ll support that. But if they don’t, then I’ll also support that.”
Asked if he backs a temporary moratorium on the projects, as some Democrats and Republicans have endorsed this summer, James said local leaders should determine the direction.
The James campaign then clarified that he supports a moratorium on new data centers until there is a local control standard and until protections for the environment and electricity bills are instituted.
James is in a competitive race for the GOP nomination for governor with businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills, who’s spent about $30 million of his own money on his candidacy.
There are about 18 new data centers either under construction or currently being planned for Michigan, according to the website U.S. Data Center Map. Among the upcoming ones is the so-called Stargate project in Saline Township, where a hyperscale facility is under construction on 250 acres of farmland and is expected to eventually demand 1.4 gigawatts of electricity, roughly as much as 1 million homes.
The massive developments have set off a debate within both parties about how to balance a desire to support the growth of artificial intelligence with local opposition to the projects.
Johnson has called for a one-year moratorium on new data centers so “we can dig into the details, demand transparency and make sure these projects are not being forced onto communities without the facts.”
Both Johnson and Michigan Democrats have criticized James for receiving campaign contributions from some developers who work on data center projects.
“Michigan’s next governor must ensure there are guardrails in place before any data center projects can proceed — but John James will always put himself and his donors first, even at the expense of Michigan families,” contended Derrick Honeyman, spokesman for the Michigan Democratic Party.
James: Socialism ‘inside the house’
James, a two-term congressman who’s been endorsed by Republican President Donald Trump for governor, appeared Saturday morning at an event inside Kent County GOP’s headquarters in Grand Rapids.
There, state Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, touted James.
“This is a man who is a God-fearing man, first of all,” Huizenga told the crowd. “Second of all, he’s a family man.”
The James campaign distributed stickers that said, “Trump endorsed John James for governor.”
James told the crowd of about 50 people that socialism “is not just on our doorstep. It’s inside the house.”
“It’s up to us to push back,” James said. “We have an amazing legacy in the Republican Party. The Republican Party was founded in Michigan … to fight slavery and to hold this nation together.
“And now, the same legacy, that same DNA you have in your veins will stand up and fight socialism and hold our state together for the benefit of our future of our republic and our children.”
Someone in the crowd at the event said he was upset about Trump wanting to build more data centers and asked James if he would push back against the president on that topic.
In Grand Rapids, James said his stance was no new data centers until “we have a plan to protect our communities.”
He would prioritize local control and blighted properties for projects over farmland, ensuring electricity bills won’t go up because of the projects and protecting water and preventing pollution, he said.
“Then, we can have the conversation,” James said.
James on his claim Trump won 3 times
During Trump’s visit to Michigan on Monday, James appeared on stage and falsely stated that Trump had won Michigan “three times.”
Trump has continued to claim fraud influenced his loss in Michigan’s 2020 presidential election but hasn’t provided evidence to prove his claims. Trump did win Michigan’s elections in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton and in 2024 against Democrat Kamala Harris.
Asked what he meant by his statement that Trump had won three times, James said there’s plenty for people to ask questions about when it comes to the 2020 election. He cited non-citizens on voter rolls and lawsuits about the state’s election processes.
An investigation by Republican state lawmakers previously upheld Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,000 votes.
The likely Democratic nominee for governor this fall is Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s top election official.
“Frankly, she still has a lot of questions to answer with regard to how she’s doing her business,” James said.
On whether he believes in his heart Trump won Michigan’s 2020 election, James didn’t answer directly. He said there are things that need to be addressed to “earn people’s trust back.”
James was also on the ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2020. He publicly conceded his loss to Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township three weeks after the 2020 election and won a closer contest in 2022 for the U.S. House. Last year, James told a group he “was screwed” in his 2020 U.S. Senate race.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: John James says he would let local leaders set data center policy
Reporting by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Craig Mauger, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
