After railing against President Donald Trump’s pick of U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, to be Michigan’s next governor, former Attorney General Mike Cox ended his Republican gubernatorial campaign and vowed to support the president’s candidate in November, describing the primary as essentially over.
“Today I leave the race for Governor with great sadness because I never found a better experience than serving the people of Michigan as I did for 21 years as a prosecutor and Attorney General (and before that, as a Marine),” Cox said in a July 17 statement announcing his decision to drop out.
With Cox out, the GOP gubernatorial primary is now a one-on-one race between James and Bloomfield Hills businessman Perry Johnson.
Cox said Trump’s endorsement of James showed the president’s hold on the Republican Party’s base. Cox cited internal polling showing that after Trump’s endorsement, James took the lead. “That is the power of President Trump, and it is a testament to the enduring loyalty of Republican primary voters in Michigan to the President,” he said, saying Trump’s intervention in the race “ordained” James as the probable primary victor.
Cox promised to support the Republican ticket in November.
Cox’s move to end his campaign comes after he attacked James’ family business, citing third-party trade data showing the shipping company that works with automakers has handled Chinese imports. He also called James a “nepo baby” from the GOP debate stage last week for serving as a company leader at the business his father founded.
James shot back. “Mike Cox, I’m the son of a CEO who was a truck driver. His father was a mason. His father was a sharecropper, and his father was a slave. How dare you shame the steps it takes to come up from Mississippi and build a life of prosperity for a family like mine,” James said during the July 9 debate on WOOD-TV.
Cox also blasted the business for receiving a tax break to create new jobs that was later revoked because those jobs never materialized, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Absentee voting has already begun, so Cox’s name will still appear on the Aug. 4 primary ballot.
Cox’s decision comes after Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, dropped out of the race and endorsed James within hours of Trump announcing his support for the congressman. (Like Cox, Nesbitt’s name also appears on the ballot.)
James, in a Facebook post after Cox ended his campaign, celebrated endorsements from his previous opponents. “I am deeply honored by this broad show of support,” James wrote.
Trump has weighed in on GOP gubernatorial primaries across the U.S. While many of his picks have won, Republicans have rejected some of his preferred candidates. Some pundits say that while Trump is a kind of kingmaker in Republican primaries, his support could prove toxic in a general election given the president’s low approval numbers and the cost of living challenges Americans have faced during his second term in office.
The winner of the Republican primary will go on to face either Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson or Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who are both competing in the Democratic primary. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot run again due to term limits.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mike Cox ends campaign for governor, cites Trump’s strength in GOP
Reporting by Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
