Welcome to the 2026 voter guide for Michigan's Aug. 4 primary election. The voter guide ‒ separate from the Detroit Free Press' news coverage and the Detroit Free Press Editorial Board's endorsements ‒ offers candidates the chance to communicate with voters in their own words. We remove entries that include false or unverifiable statements, personal attacks on other candidates or foul language, but responses are otherwise unedited.
Find Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson's questionnaire responses here, or visit our Voter Guide.
John James
Candidate for governor, Republican
Age: 45
What is your current occupation? Please share any other work experience relevant to the role you are seeking.
I am currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving Michigan’s 10th Congressional district.Past: West Point graduate, combat veteran (Ranger-qualified Apache helicopter pilot with
more than 750 hours of flight time in Iraq), President/CEO of two successful Detroit-based shipping and supply chain management and logistics companies. Husband and father of three.
Do you have previous political experience? If yes, please describe.
Yes; I’m currently serving my second term in Congress. During my time in office, I’ve gotten bills signed into law by both a Democrat and Republican president. I also recently secured $162 million for Selfridge Air National Guard base to keep the base open and prepare for the new fighter mission.
Michigan schools have struggled with literacy, absenteeism and uneven student outcomes. What is the first K-12 policy change you would pursue as governor, and how would you measure whether it worked?
I will opt Michigan into the federal Education Freedom Scholarship on my first day in office. It’s literally free money for scholarships and tutoring that Michigan is currently leaving on the table. Other states are happy to accept the money; we are missing out.My administration will also prioritize evidence-based literacy instruction and mastery-based learning so no child moves forward before they are ready. Success will be measured by third-grade reading proficiency, chronic absenteeism rates, graduation rates, and the percentage of graduates who are genuinely career or college ready on day one, not just on paper.Michigan's kids are not failing. The system is failing them. We are going to fix that.
What changes, if any, would you make to Michigan’s tax structure? Please identify one tax you would cut, raise, expand or eliminate, and explain how you would offset the impact on the state budget.
I will phase out Michigan’s state income tax. That starts with an immediate 25% cut. My team has already identified more than $3 billion of unnecessary, wasteful government spending that we can give back to the people.We also have to lower property taxes. The point of owning is so that you don’t have to keep paying rent. Property taxes are just rent paid to the government.
Michigan has offered major incentives to attract business investment. What standards should companies have to meet to receive state support, and should the state claw back incentives if promised jobs or investment do not materialize?
Michigan has given away billions with little to nothing to show for it. If a company is given incentives to create jobs but fails to hold up its end of the deal, claw the funding back. Rather than chasing shiny objects, we need to refocus on retention and helping businesses that have already proven their commitment to Michigan grow and stay.
As a business leader, I know what it feels like to see tax dollars spent on promises while businesses that have been performing and investing in Michigan for decades are overlooked. My plan is to use the same business skills I used to grow my business to grow yours. Economic development is more about talent than it is about brick and mortar. We will fund grit, not graft.
Data centers strain electric utilities, water resources and have drawn broad opposition from Michigan communities. Should Michigan court data centers, and if so, what limits or requirements should Michigan place on data center development?
A few conditions: no project can move forward without community support. Data centers cannot raise household electricity prices, and they cannot pollute or use too much water. They also cannot cause noise pollution. Put them on brownfields (old industrial areas), not on green agricultural land that should be used for farms. If a community wants a data center because of the tax revenue they generate, that’s up to them – they cannot be forced to accept one. Local control is paramount.
How should a Michigan governor respond when federal policy conflicts with the state’s priorities or values? Please give one example of when you would cooperate with the federal government and one example of when you would challenge it.
A governor's responsibility is to put Michigan first. I will work with the federal government whenever it advances the interests of Michigan families, workers, and businesses, regardless of which party is in power. For example, I will work with the federal government on infrastructure, defense investments like Selfridge, workforce development, and border security whenever those partnerships benefit Michigan. I will also stand up to the federal government when its policies harm Michigan. I will oppose federal mandates that raise energy costs, undermine Michigan manufacturing, or limit our state's ability to make decisions that are best for our residents. My guiding principle will be protecting Michigan's economy, taxpayers, and constitutional authority.
What role, if any, should state agencies and local law enforcement play in federal immigration enforcement? Should schools, courts, hospitals or other public institutions be treated differently?
State agencies and local law enforcement must cooperate with federal immigration authorities to enforce the law and protect public safety, particularly when dealing with individuals who have committed crimes or pose a threat to our communities. Michigan should not adopt sanctuary policies that prevent cooperation with federal authorities. Schools, hospitals, and other public institutions should remain focused on their core missions while complying with applicable state and federal law.
What is your plan to create good-paying jobs in Michigan over the next four years? Please identify the industries you would prioritize and the specific tools you would use to grow them.
Michigan is one of the most hostile states in the Midwest for job creators. Businesses are choosing Indiana and Ohio because our taxes are too high, regulations too burdensome, energy costs too expensive, and permitting too slow and adversarial.
My administration will create a business climate where employers can invest, expand, and hire. I will prioritize manufacturing, skilled trades, healthcare, agriculture, energy, and technology by cutting the income tax, slashing unnecessary regulations, repealing costly clean energy mandates, and streamlining permitting so Michigan operates at the speed of business.
My Freedom Agenda also includes a Retention and Relocation Worker Tax Credit to keep talent here and bring workers back, plus a 100% tax credit for businesses that invest in scholarships for students pursuing high-demand careers. Michigan has the workers and the industries. We just need a governor who gets out of the way and lets Michigan compete.
What role should the state play in making child care more available and affordable?
Child care is an affordability issue, plain and simple. When a family spends more on child care than on rent, something is broken. Too many Michigan parents, especially mothers, are forced to choose between staying in the workforce and paying the bills.
My administration will redirect taxpayer dollars away from Lansing's waste and toward programs that actually help working families. That means expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care so more parents can work and build a better future. It also means cutting costly energy mandates, lowering property taxes, and reducing unnecessary regulations that drive up the cost of everything from groceries to insurance.
Affordable child care and an affordable life go hand in hand. As Governor, every decision I make will be guided by one question: does this make life more affordable for Michigan families?
What would you do to make Michigan more attractive to young workers and families?
Michigan is not just losing people. Michigan is losing hope. Our schools rank 44th. We are about to lose another seat in Congress due to population. At some point this stops being bad luck and starts being exactly what it looks like: failed leadership.
That has to stop, and it stops with a governor who actually fights for the people who live here.
When I am Governor, we are cutting the income tax -- 25 percent in year one, with a goal of eliminating it entirely. We are repealing the green energy mandates driving Michigan's utility rates the highest in the Midwest. We are fast-tracking permits so homes get built and prices come down. And we are making sure every Michigan high school graduate leaves with a real skill tied to a real job.
Faith, family, and hard work built this state. Lansing spent eight years chasing that out. We are bringing it back. Michigan is going to be a place people are proud to stay, proud to build, and proud to call home again.
A measure to call a state Constitutional Convention is on this year's ballot. Do you plan to vote in favor of a con-con?
No
Michigan has struggled to improve government transparency. Will you pledge to expand the Freedom of Information Act to the governor's office?
Yes
How to vote
Local clerks mailed absentee ballots to Michigan voters Sept. 24. Registered voters may cast ballots early, in person, across the state from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 ‒ check with your local clerk for your city's early voting start date, location of early voting sites and absentee ballot dropboxes. And, of course, you can vote ‒ and register to vote ‒ in person on Nov. 3, Election Day.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Where MI governor candidate John James stands on education, taxes, more
