HIDE AND SEEK

Gary Peters

The man being held up as the future of Michigan’s Republican Party, John James, is apparently trying to hide the unwavering support he extolled during his failed 2018 Senate campaign for President Donald Trump by deleting statements promoting him from his social media accounts. James, a 2004 West Point graduate who served in Iraq as an Apache helicopter pilot, returning home to run his family business, lost his bid for Senate against Democrat Debbie Stabenow. But, with James taking 43.7 percent of the general election vote, Republicans have pinned their hopes on James as a future leader in the party. James’ name had been tossed about for a potential ambassadorship appointment from Trump, which went nowhere. He has since announced his second run for Senate, this time against the state’s junior senator, Democrat Gary Peters. With support for Trump not expected to hold water with Michigan voters in 2020, Democrats called James out for quietly removing photos and statements pledging support for the president. Trump balloons were conspicuously cropped out of recent photos shared by the James’ campaign. On June 17, 501(c)4 organization VoteVotes, which has close ties to congressional Democrats, announced its support for Peters. The organization is backed by more than a half-million veterans and military family members and their supporters. Peters is a former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Subsequently, James pushed back by urging donors to pledge their support before the latest filing deadline, which is at the end of June.