Trump-backed candidate lands GOP nod, setting up high-stakes governor showdown

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rep. John James, R-Mich., discusses the race ahead of the GOP primary and the influence of democratic socialists on 'Fox News Live.' President Donald Trump's kingmaker status in Republican primaries was on the line Tuesday in Michigan's GOP gubernatorial nomination showdown – and the president passed the test. Republican Rep. John James, a two-time U.S. Senate nominee in the crucial Great Lakes battleground state who was endorsed by Trump in late June, topped multimillionaire businessman Perry Johnson to win the GOP primary, The Associated Press reported. The West Point graduate and Army Ranger who served multiple combat tours as an Apache helicopter pilot in the Iraq War will face off in a high-stakes and expensive general election battle with two-term Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democrats' gubern