Rep. John James wins reelection, retains Michigan’s 10th Congressional District seat for Republicans

Rep. John James (R) has won reelection and retained Michigan’s 10^th Congressional seat for the Republican party.

AP News called the contest at 12:21 p.m. EST Wednesday. As of 4:30 p.m., James received 51% of the vote. Democratic challenger Carl Marlinga fell short and garnered 45%.

The 43-year-old James is a former U.S. Army Ranger who was first elected to Congress in 2022 after a pair of failed Senate run in 2018 and 2020. James is a staunch supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and was a candidate to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump’s administration.

Similar to Trump’s 2020 election denialism, James refused to concede his 2020 loss to incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D), in which he lost by 92,335 votes. James failed to provide any evidence of voter fraud or cheating in the race despite adamantly claiming there was ample proof. James did not voice any claims of cheating in his 2022 congressional win, where he also defeated Marlinga by a slim margin (1,600 votes).

James has also received political donations from Michigan’s fake electors, who were later criminally charged for participating in a plot to overturn the state’s rightful 2020 Presidential election results.

James has made a strong stance against abortion rights since starting his political career, stating that he is 100% pro-life. He has also advocated for repealing the Affordable Care Act and defunding Planned Parenthood Clinics.

Marlinga is a moderate Democrat and former judge and prosecutor who is a household name in the Macomb County region.