Republican U.S. Rep. John James won the primary and became the Republican nominee for governor of Michigan, setting up a race to succeed current Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The victory also sparked some mockery online, however, as James previously lost Michigan’s U.S. Senate elections in 2018 and 2020.
After the polls closed, John James won the Republican primary with 50.1% of the vote. He defeated Perry Johnson, who received 35.2%, Mike Cox with 13%, and Aric Nesbitt with 1.8%. James’ opponent will be Democrat Jocelyn Benson, who defeated Chris Swanson with 83.2% of the vote.
Michigan Reacts to John James Winning the Republican Primary
While James secured a decisive victory over his Republican opponents, his win did not resonate well with users on Reddit’s r/Michigan. In the official thread discussing his victory, multiple users cracked jokes at his expense, calling him “a consistent loser,” or asking: “How many times can he lose and not take a hint?”
Others continued the mockery: “Just another MAGA guy who doesn’t understand consent. We said NO to him in 2018, again in 2020, and he’s back again!!!! NO MEANS NO, JOHN,” joked one person, referring to James’ two previous Senate election defeats.
Some people simply seemed irritated by what they viewed as his persistence: “Hopefully Benson just blows him out of the water so badly that he finally leaves Michigan. I’m so sick of this guy being on ballots here.” Most users did not think he had much of a chance anyway: “What did he get, a quarter of the votes that Benson received? Does James have a humiliation kink?”
A few locals were also skeptical about what might happen if he actually won: “Statistically? John James shows up the least, missing more House votes than any other part of the Michigan Delegation to Congress. It’s also been reported that he is just not available for any constituents. So, who does he really work for? He doesn’t seem to be working for Michiganders.”
In any case, the election will be decided in November, and while Benson appears to be the favorite, only time will tell who the winner will be.
