PODCASTS:
June 10, 2026 ~ Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James joins the show to discuss Wednesday night’s GOP debate and to respond to allegations of Islamophobia against him.
July 10, 2026 ~ Republican gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson joins Kevin Dietz to recap Michigan’s debates that took place this week.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. ~ U.S. Rep. John James, businessman Perry Johnson, and former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox all took the stage Wednesday and Thursday night in the GOP gubernatorial debates, exchanging attacks as the August primary is less than a month away.
The July 8 debate on Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV), which was moderated by Roop Raj, featured many talking points, including tax cuts, data centers, and Trump’s influence. All three men shared their goal of eliminating the state income tax, and took a wary stance on data centers. James, who took heavy criticism for a majority of the night, and Johnson both pushed to slow down the manufacturing of new centers in the state, while Cox expressed that the local communities should be making the decisions. None of the candidates steered from Trump as the president of the United States has expressed support for James.
The one-hour long second debate at WOOD TV8 Thursday night focused on affordability and education. On the topic of utility costs, Cox and James were in lockstep as they said they would help cut future increases in energy bills by repealing a law approved by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer setting a 100% clean energy standard for Michigan by 2040. Johnson spoke about the benefits of having a self-funded campaign and joined Cox and James in denouncing housing regulations that limit supply. Cox and James also shared the same goal of opting Michigan into the federal K-12 education freedom tax credit in regard to education.
Tuesday, Aug. 4 marks the Michigan primary election which will see the winner of the Republican primary face off against the winner of the Democratic primary. Jocelyn Benson is the frontrunner for the Democrats, while James has shown strong polling numbers on the Republican side.
