Republican gubernatorial nominee John James skipped Vice President JD Vance’s Michigan rally on Thursday, missing a high-profile event to energize GOP voters in one of the country’s most consequential midterm battlegrounds.
Vance visited Monroe, in southeastern Michigan, to campaign for Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 election, when control of Congress is on the line. The rally came as James faces Democratic nominee Jocelyn Benson in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI).
James is scheduled to debate Benson Thursday evening, with the one-hour event set to begin at 8 p.m. The debate, and preparing for it, was the James campaign’s reason for not attending the Vance event.
RNC spokesman Hunter Lovell questioned why James missing the Vance event was even up for discussion. He pointed out that James campaigned with Vance a month ago and that his running mate, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-MI), spoke on James’s behalf at the afternoon rally.
“The Washington Examiner clearly has no idea how political campaigns work if they think any serious candidate would spend the last few hours before a statewide debate anywhere but in debate prep,” Lovell wrote in a text. “Tonight, John James will mop the floor with Jocelyn Benson and show hardworking Michiganders exactly how he’ll save this state after eight years of failed Democrat leadership in Lansing.”
Vance’s rally was in the afternoon, with doors opening at 1 p.m., so James could have attended the vice president’s appearance before heading to the debate, which was less than an hour away. Vance’s speech was scheduled for 4:20 p.m. The Washington Examiner reached out to James’s campaign for comment.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James, R-Mich, speaks during a news conference Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James, R-Mich, speaks during a news conference Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Democrats criticized James’s absence, suggesting the congressman is reluctant to defend his record on issues including the war in Iran, Canadian tariffs, and healthcare. They also claimed he didn’t want to be seen with the vice president.
“There’s no doubt that the mere idea of hanging out with JD Vance sounds utterly miserable,” Sam Newton, communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. Newton accused James of trying to distance himself from the administration’s policies and argued that voters would hold him accountable for economic issues.
The timing highlights the political calculations Republicans face in Michigan, where the governor’s contest is unfolding alongside a closely watched race for an open U.S. Senate seat.
Republican Mike Rogers faces Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed in a matchup that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate. Michigan’s competitive congressional contests also make the state a priority for both parties as they fight to retain or capture majorities in Washington.
While Vance campaigns for Rogers and other Republicans in the southern part of the state, el Sayed took his message to a very different electorate on Thursday in Michigan’s conservative Upper Peninsula.
Traveling by bus with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the progressive Democrat is seeking to win over voters who supported President Donald Trump but remain disillusioned with the political establishment. Hundreds of people turned out for the pair’s campaign appearances, according to news footage from the tour.
El Sayed told reporters that some voters he has encountered describe their support for Trump as a rejection of politics rather than personal loyalty to the president. He said voters have told him they backed Trump because they were fed up with the political system.
El Sayed has tried to present himself as an alternative to that system, pointing to his own challenge to the Democratic establishment during the Senate primary. He has argued that American politics is divided between those who defend the status quo and those who challenge it, casting Trump as a symptom of a political system dominated by wealthy donors and special interests.
The competing appearances underscore Michigan’s importance to both parties as they try to reach voters across ideological and geographic divides.
For James, Thursday’s debate offers a nationally watched opportunity to make his case to voters. But his decision to sit out Vance’s rally gives Democrats another opening to question how closely he wants to align himself with the administration as the campaign enters its final weeks.
Later Thursday, Vance will be taping a CBS Town Hall in Michigan that will air over the weekend, Michigan media reported.
TRUMP SAYS ABDUL EL SAYED IS ‘1005’ A ‘MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD GUY’
Both Trump and former President Barack Obama are expected to headline rallies in the election’s closing days. Obama will be in Detroit on Oct. 24 with el Sayed, Benson, and other downballot Democrats.
Trump, who was in the state in August, is expected to return on Oct. 25 and host an event near the Canadian border.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
