UPDATE at 7:16 pm on 6/22/26: This story has been updated to include that Aric Nesbitt has dropped out of the race.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Congressman John James in the Republican race for Michigan governor.
In a Monday post on Truth Social, the president praised James as a “West Point Graduate, Combat Pilot, Brave Iraq War Veteran, Successful Businessman and Job Creator, and now, as a Highly Respected U.S. Congressman.”
James responded with his own post on X, writing in part that Donald Trump is “The greatest President of my lifetime.”
The presidential endorsement for James prompted Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt to drop out of the race.
Nesbitt said he was suspending his campaign and joining President Trump in endorsing John James, saying it was time for Republicans to unite behind a candidate.
James remains in a tight race for the Republican nomination for Michigan governor with businessman Perry Johnson and former state Attorney General Mike Cox.
Trump’s endorsement comes just days before absentee ballots become available ahead of the August primary.
Trump’s endorsement, while potentially problematic in a general election, is seen as a big plus for candidates in Republican primaries.
According to Real Clear Politics, the President’s recent job approval polls are hovering around 40%, with 57% of those polls disapproving of the president.
Republican candidate Perry Johnson's campaign responded to the endorsement saying the president received "bad advice," noting past Trump endorsements for other Michigan GOP candidates, including James, Tudor Dixon and Matt DePerno, who lost in the general election.
"Across the country, Republican voters are proving that an endorsement alone does not decide a governor’s race. Michigan is on track to continue the trend we have seen in states like Iowa and Georgia, and tomorrow South Carolina, where voters rejected bad advice and chose the candidate they believed could actually win." - Johnson campaign statement.
Republican Candidate Mike Cox issued a statement acknowledging the President’s endorsement of his opponent, but he remains optimistic about his primary chances.
“ I look forward to being President Trump’s favorite governor when I win,” said Cox in a written statement.
Democrats jumped on the Trump endorsement.
The Democratic Governors Association wrote that President Trump is trying to bail out James' campaign.
"After voting for Donald Trump's disastrous and unpopular agenda of raising the cost of groceries and gas and cutting health care, John James is now counting on help from DC to bail out his struggling campaign that is sinking in the polls and facing intense backlash from grassroots Republicans,” DGA statement.
And Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who’s running in the Democratic primary for governor, also took a shot at James.
“While families are struggling with the rising cost of everything – groceries, gas, prescription drugs – James has spent the last year focused on one thing: winning Donald Trump’s approval. That comes as no surprise,” said Benson in a written statement.
