Michigan businessman, military veteran and two-time Republican Senate candidate John James announced Monday he will run for an open House seat in the Detroit area.
The 10th District, newly created through redistricting, includes a chunk of Macomb County and a small portion of Oakland County and is considered competitive. Then-President Donald Trump narrowly won the area of the state in 2020 over Joe Biden.
“Our community needs a congressman who is grounded in real life — a leader who will defend our freedom, ensure good-paying jobs are available at home and offer to extend a helping hand to our neighbors in need,” James said in a statement.
Democratic Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens currently represent parts of the seat, but they are seeking to represent a new, Democratic district in Oakland County.
The 40-year-old James, a top GOP recruit, was twice the Republican nominee to challenge incumbent Democratic senators, losing by about 1.7 percentage points to Gary Peters in 2020.
The West Point graduate flew Apache helicopters in combat and led two platoons during the Iraq War. After being honorably discharged, he joined his father’s Detroit-based group of companies, James Group International Inc. He is CEO of Renaissance Global Logistics, which ships supplier parts to auto factories.
