Republican and Iraq War veteran John James narrowly won Michigan’s Tenth District in the Detroit suburbs against Democrat Carl Marlinga, offering a bright spot for the GOP.
James, who previously ran for Senate in 2018 and 2020, garnered 49% support while Marlinga finished with 48%. Marlinga reportedly made a concession call to the Republican around 12 p.m. Central time. James is one of five black Republicans to declare victory, and as many as seven could serve in the 118th Congress.
“Throughout this race people have shared their hardships and today they have spoken. They have chosen experienced leadership. Help is on the way,” James said in a statement. “I am humbled and grateful for the support and the trust of the people of Macomb County, Rochester and Rochester Hills. We will lower prices, protect our jobs and make our communities safer. I will not let you down!”
Decision Desk HQ projects John James (R) wins election to the U.S. House in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District.
D to R Flip.#DecisionMade: 3:46pm EST
Follow more results here: https://t.co/J7J00UR5CG pic.twitter.com/wBrUfGEW4J
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 9, 2022
Constitutionally-mandated redistricting set off a game of musical chairs in Michigan. Republican Rep. Lisa McClain left the Tenth District to run in the Ninth, which she won by 31 points. Democrat Andy Levin, who represented the Ninth in the 117th Congress, lost a member versus member primary to Haley Stevens in the Eleventh District. Stevens defeated Republican challenger Mark Ambrose by more than 24 points.
The Michigan legislature swung the Tenth District 14 points towards the GOP. (RELATED: John James: ‘The Only Thing I’m Seeing As Old As The Civil War Is Democrats Continuing To Exploit Black People’)
Overall, Republicans will hold six seats in Michigan, while Democrats will hold seven. The state’s delegation was previously split 8-6 in favor of Democrats.
James is the fifth black Republican to win a House or Senate seat in 2022, joining South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Burgess Owens of Utah, and Texas Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt. If George Logan wins in Connecticut’s Fifth District and Herschel Walker wins Georgia’s Senate run-off, Congress would have the most black Republicans serving in the body since 1877. Overall, 28 black Republicans ran for House and Senate seats in 2022.
“From a policy standpoint, a lot of people aren’t satisfied or happy with what we’ve seen in the last 20 months since the Biden administration started,” Hunt told The Washington Post.
“And you’re seeing black conservatives no longer hiding from what we do traditionally and how we’re supposed to vote and stepping up and saying, ‘It’s okay to be black and conservative,’ ” Hunt added.