Rep. John James, R-Mich., told Newsmax on Wednesday that Michigan's economic and educational challenges under Democratic leadership are fueling Republican momentum ahead of the 2026 elections.
Appearing on "Carl Higbie: FRONTLINE," James argued that "Michigan's house is on fire," citing what he called the state's "highest unemployment rate in the Midwest," rising energy costs, and an education system ranked "44th in the nation."
James criticized Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for focusing on symbolic social issues instead of economic priorities, saying, "Meanwhile, Gretchen Whitmer has the time to sign a Pride Month declaration."
He argued the governor instead "should have opted in to the federal tax credit that we got passed in President [Donald] Trump's working family tax cuts."
The congressman also took aim at the national Democratic Party, claiming, "Democrats are siding with terrorist sympathizers and a dude with a Nazi tattoo on his chest.
"This is what the modern Democrat Party has become."
Discussing his gubernatorial campaign, James said Republicans would focus on "things that are going to be keeping America safe" and "keeping Michigan strong," adding, "that's the reason why I'm running, and that's the reason why Republicans are going to have a good year this year."
On the state's economy, James said Michigan "has lost 250,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000," arguing that Whitmer "hasn't made it any better."
He called for "tax and regulatory reform," "local control," and lower property and income taxes to make the state more competitive.
"We need to have somebody who's actually created jobs in the real world to actually have a sense of what it takes to grow our economy," James said, while praising Trump for bringing "$17 trillion worth of investment back to the United States of America."
James also blasted what he described as left-wing ideology in government, declaring, "Communism cannot work," and arguing that "their Marxist policies are cratering this country."
He added, "This is the greatest country that's ever existed in the world," and called for policies that "trust the people more than we trust the government."
"We can dispense with Marxism, we can dispense with the Green New Deal ideology that's taking us backwards, and we can focus on the prosperity that we are entitled to," James said.
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