In one of my articles this week, I mentioned that we were not that far away from the midterm elections of 2026. What that means here in the state of Michigan is for us Michiganians, we will have two statewide contests happening: the contest to replace Governor Gretchen Whitmer and then the race to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters.
I had a commenter on that article mention that 20 months is not right around the corner, but with all the leaks and announcements of people who are thinking about running, I think I'm on to something here.
Really, who wouldn't be excited about the contest to replace Gretch?
She has been a disaster.
Just as a reminder, I did a walk down memory (horror) lane about her handling of COVID-19 right here. Remember When Gretchen Whitmer Issued All Her Misguided COVID Orders Five Years Ago? Some Michiganians Do.
Yeah, she has been awful and won't be missed.
In recent days, I also covered that former Michigan Gov. candidate Tudor Dixon announced she was thinking about deciding IF she would jump into the governor's race or Senate race.
From that article...
Republicans so far had been positioning themselves, and the candidate who ran against Whitmer in 2022 announced that she was considering another run for the top job in the state or possibly the seat of retiring Democrat Gary Peters in the United States Senate.
I came across the story right HERE:
Tudor Dixon, the Republican businessperson and conservative commentator who unsuccessfully ran for Michigan governor in 2022, is weighing another run for political office in 2026, but she hasn’t decided which one: U.S. Senate or governor, again.
“I want to do the most good for our beloved state,” she wrote Tuesday on the social platform X. “Both races present unique opportunities and different ways to benefit Michigan.”
“I will decide soon where my experience and talents would most benefit the state we love so dearly,” she added.
In her statement, Dixon praised President Trump, who endorsed her failed campaign against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) three years ago, for actions taken since his return to the White House in January and reaffirmed her support.
“President Trump is leading the way nationally. He is delivering on his promises to secure the border, bring manufacturing jobs home and boost energy independence,” she said. “I am committed to standing with President Trump to deliver on the America First agenda here in Michigan.”
Dixon gathered more votes than any Republican who had ever run for governor, with almost two million votes, but she lost by nine points in a blue state in which the Michigan GOP was also in shambles at the time.
Dixon did garner more votes than any GOP candidate previously and still lost the race, but her debate performances against the Gretch were solid. I would suggest candidates running for office to watch those for some tips.
Now, almost on cue after the Dixon announcement, a story comes out that current Republican Congressman John James is going to run for governor and has caught the attention of President Trump.
Republican Congressman John James is expected to run for governor in 2026 and receive President Donald Trump's endorsement, a Republican source familiar with the situation tells Deadline Detroit.
"John James is definitely running for governor, and he's putting together a great team. He expects to get Trump's endorsement, which should clear out the field," said the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "People are going to run against him, but how are they going to win?"
James did not immediately respond to a request for comment via text on Wednesday.
Well, the James camp probably isn't ready to make the announcement official; there's a lot of stuff you have to do before that happens — like getting a campaign website domain and a caterer.
James has had two statewide runs for Senate in 2018 and 2020 and lost both of those, so running a statewide campaign is not new to him. So the question is, would he give up a guaranteed congressional seat if his district is not heavily Republican, yet take on another statewide race this time to stay closer to home and move to Lansing?
I would: Washington, D.C., SUCKS.
Plus the source indicated that James fully expects to get Trump's endorsement to clear out the primary field. The president's endorsement in the primaries here in Michigan has been pretty solid, and that would probably clear out anyone who is announced to run or, if it came early enough, prevent others from even jumping in.
From my perch, I will vote for any Republican who agrees to the simple fact that they will not declare medical emergencies to shove elderly people into care facilities and nursing homes and not allow families to see them as they draw their last breath. I know that seems radical but after experiencing what Governor Gretch did in some of the things I highlighted in my article above, it's time to just cover the bases.
'Tis better to get that on the record ahead of time just to make sure you're on the same page with whoever the Republican candidate will be.
So, the 2026 election is well underway, and we're not even halfway through 2025 yet. For those of you who are maybe a bit newer to politics, back in the day, it was much different with just CBS, NBC, and ABC covering the news, but in the new cycle of 24/7 news, this is how it's going to be until the Lord comes back and calls us home.
So, just get ready, buckle up, and in the state of Michigan, hopefully, we can elect some statewide Republicans to start correcting the mess in which the Democrats have left this state.
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