LOOKING FOR THE NEXT MOVE
According to an extremely reliable source, first-term Congressman John James (R-Shelby Township), who is running unopposed in the August primary for the 10th Congressional District – and then will face the winner of the six running in the Democratic primary, including Carl Marlinga, who James beat by only about 1,500 votes in 2022, is already strongly thinking about 2026, and running for the open governor’s seat. James, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2022, apparently has high aspirations – and a background of running his own show, having been president of James Group International and CEO of its subsidiary, Renaissance Global Logistics, both previously run by his father. Word is he and his family are tired of the D.C. jaunt, constantly having to raise money in order to get good committee assignments (which he has gotten), as well as being just one voice out of 435 rather than king of his own pony show. “The only chance he has for being governor is if he wins his race this year,” said one Republican politico. “You have to wonder, are the next two years just an audition for his next campaign?” Word is a lot of Republicans are saying that after six years and four campaigns, they’ve already OD’d on him. One Republican prognosticator pointed out that James obviously doesn’t understand what it takes to be the top dog in the state, where your wishes still must meet with approval of two legislative bodies, much like what James doesn’t like about Congress.