A sleepy Republican gubernatorial primary has been shaken up, and Macomb County is right at the center of it all.
For more than a year, we’ve seen the candidates for governor ‒ including former Attorney General Mike Cox, former House Speaker Tom Leonard, Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt and U.S. Rep. John James ‒ courting our votes.
Most believed James had Macomb County, which accounts for 87% of his district, locked up.
Then businessman Perry Johnson entered the race, flooding our TVs, radios, phones and inboxes not with asks for money, but ideas for the future. While the other candidates have put forward plans, none have had the resources to communicate those plans effectively – Johnson, who made a fortune consulting on manufacturing efficiency, is self-funding his campaign and so far has spent $10 million on ads.
No Republican can win statewide without strong support in Macomb County. Johnson seems to recognize that simple fact, and is doing the work to win here.
As a result, John James, previously considered the frontrunner, is seeing his big lead close.
What happened to James’ lead?
The big question is what happened to the massive, 50-point lead James’ campaign was touting just a short time ago. Polling publicly released recently by the Johnson campaign shows the gap closing fast in the district James currently represents, but Johnson has humbly discounted his own poll. An outside poll released on March 24 showing James’ lead slipping to just three points, statewide over Johnson, with the other candidates within striking distance.
I was recently at the Macomb County convention, where Republican activists gathered. Johnson was the only candidate for governor to attend. He was mobbed. His speech was well-received, as was his “4747” plan to eliminate the state income tax, reform property taxes, audit the state budget to eliminate waste and fraud and other conservative ideas.
Conventional wisdom says James should be a big favorite in Macomb County. Four years ago, he decided to run for a newly drawn 10th District congressional seat that is 87% within the county. He won by just 1,600 votes in 2002, but in 2024 was re-elected by 24,000 votes in the Trump landslide.
Almost immediately after the 2024 election, word began to spread that James would be leaving the seat to run for Governor. That talk grew louder weeks after the election, when he purchased a $2.7 million home in Grand Rapids. People were asking why a Macomb County congressman would purchase such a home in Grand Rapids. What about us?
James’ decision to seek the governor’s seat didn’t sit well with President Donald Trump, who had concerns that he had put the seat, and our slim Republican House majority, at risk. James defied the pressure to stay in the 10th District, announcing his run for governor in April of 2025.
At a White House event in June of 2025, Trump said, “I don’t know — you know, he’s (John James) running for governor, but I’m not sure I’m happy about that.” At the Republican Party Mackinac Conference last September, U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, who represents the other half of Macomb County and is the House Conference Chair, told the Washington Examiner, “I mean, if we’re going to be honest, we spent $40 million to keep that seat for him over the two cycles, right? It stings us to have him leave that seat, there’s no question.”
A stepping stone for James
I live in Macomb County. and I love this community. Many were surprised when party leaders cleared the primary field in the 10th District for John James in 2022. He wasn’t a “Macomb guy” ‒ he had never voted here, his family business was based in Detroit and he had long lived with his family in Farmington Hills in Oakland County. But we accepted James’ candidacy, and grassroots leaders and donors stepped up to help.
He was handed our nomination because of residual name ID built during two failed runs for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, when tens of millions of dollars in outside money were spent on his behalf. Now, talk has grown in recent months, as many across the community feel that Macomb County’s Republican votes are being used as a stepping stone to propel his career forward.
When I travel the county, I ask people what they think about the governor’s race. Time after time I hear people talking about Johnson’s ideas. Conservatives want a Republican governor, a leader who can bring the conservative change we need. Johnson is rising fast, because he is communicating ideas that connect.
Macomb voters demand trust, conservative policy wins and loyalty. Now Johnson has embraced the people in this community. In Macomb, he will find voters who are up for grabs – and our price is dedication to conservative governance that will bring a brighter future.
I am not working for any of the campaigns in the race for governor, and consider all of the candidates to be friends. I simply want a Republican to win in November. I also know that whoever the voters of Macomb County embrace in the primary in August will be determinative.
We now have a race on our hands.
The Perry Johnson message is catching on, and if that is backed up with further engagement with voters in this community, it could be decisive.
Johnson has shaken up this race, and Macomb County will be ground zero.
Jamie Roe is a Republican political consultant based in Macomb County. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online or in print.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Perry Johnson poses threat to John James in governor race | Opinion
Reporting by Jamie Roe, Guest columnist / Detroit Free Press
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