FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2026
Contact: Hannah Osantowske
hannah@johnjamesmi.com
JOHN JAMES HOLDS 2-TO-1 PRIMARY LEAD AS $15 MILLION IN JOHNSON SPENDING FALLS SHORT
Frontrunner commands 37% support and a 26-point advantage among the voters who decide Republican primaries; launches first TV ad and bold plan to eliminate Michigan’s state income tax
Shelby Township, MI — A new survey from OnMessage Inc. confirms John James is the commanding frontrunner in the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. James leads the field at 37%. That is nearly double second-place Perry Johnson’s 19%, even as Johnson has burned through more than $15 million over the past two months trying to close the gap.
James launched his first television advertising yesterday and unveiled a bold plan to eliminate Michigan’s state income tax by cutting more than $3 billion in Lansing waste and putting that money back in the pockets of Michigan families. The message is resonating and the momentum is growing.
Among “very conservative” voters, the group that has decided every Republican gubernatorial primary for decades, James leads by 26 points. OnMessage Inc. notes that no Republican has ever won a primary without winning this demographic. John James is winning it by a landslide.
“Michigan voters are responding because they know the best is yet to come for this state. While my opponent has spent millions trying to buy this race, Michigan Republicans are choosing a leader with a proven record of service, results, and integrity. That cannot be manufactured with a checkbook.”
— John James
Perry Johnson has spent more than $15 million in this race and his support among the very conservatives who decide this primary stands at just 8%. This is the same Perry Johnson who burned roughly $30 million trying to defeat President Trump in 2024 and earned zero delegates. The same Perry Johnson who spent about $10 million on a 2022 gubernatorial campaign that ended in disgrace when he was thrown off the ballot for submitting fraudulent signatures. Three campaigns. Tens of millions of dollars. Nothing to show for it.
“Michigan Republicans are not for sale. They are choosing John James because he has delivered where it counts: in combat, in business, and in Congress. He has stood with President Trump every single time. No amount of spending changes that record.”
— Hannah Osantowske, Campaign Spokesperson
James is the only Republican in the race polling ahead of both Democratic candidates in a general election matchup. That makes him not just the primary frontrunner but Michigan’s strongest path to keeping the Governor’s office red in November 2026.
Poll conducted by OnMessage Inc. — A rated on the Silver Bulletin for 2024 and 2025 — March 16 to 19, 2026. Sample of 509 likely GOP primary voters, stratified by county to reflect historical turnout. Margin of error: plus or minus 4.34 percentage points. Wes Anderson, founding partner of OnMessage Inc., was named the American Association of Political Consultants Pollster of the Year in 2019.
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