A Trump-backed candidate vying to be Michigan’s next governor is under fire after a bombshell recording captured him vowing to pass the “most conservative, most pro-life bill” possible—despite previously telling voters the law was settled.
John James, a MAGA warrior who Donald Trump has endorsed for next week’s high-stakes primary race in Michigan, was caught on tape backtracking on his previous claims about abortion after being approached by a voter at a rally this week.
James is a combat veteran and state congressman hoping to take the governor’s mansion after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s term ends in January.
But he has repeatedly flip-flopped on abortion over the years, and now he appears to have done so again, suggesting he could move to repeal state laws enshrining the right to abortion in Michigan’s constitution.
As a Senate candidate in 2018, for instance, James referred to abortion as “genocide” and said he was “100 percent pro-life.” Then, in 2023, his spokesperson said he had expanded his views on abortion exceptions to include rape and incest.
One year later, he distanced himself even further by describing abortion as a settled issue in Michigan following the passage of Proposal 3, a voter-initiated constitutional amendment that codified abortion rights in the state.
But in a bombshell recording reviewed by the Daily Beast, James can be heard backtracking once again after meeting voters at a get-out-the-vote rally on Wednesday.
“I’m a little disappointed that you once called abortion genocide, but now you say it’s kind of settled for Michigan,” a purported pro-life voter tells him.
“I’ve never said it was settled,” James assures her.
“Oh really?” the voters asked, sounding surprised. “So will you do something to get Proposal 3 repealed once you’re governor?”
“I’m going to do everything to get the most conservative, most pro-life bill passed through the House and Senate as possible,” he tells her.
The issue is contentious because abortion has remained one of the defining issues in Michigan politics ever since voters overwhelmingly approved Proposal 3 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs Wade in 2022.
With Trump’s backing, James is currently the frontrunner to win Tuesday’s GOP primary, potentially setting him up to take on Democrat Jocelyn Benson to be Michigan’s next governor.
James has been a loyal Trump ally for years, declaring that he backs the president “2000 percent,” partying with him at Mar-a-Lago in March, and standing alongside him at a rally last week.
“Thank you, Mr President for coming back to Michigan, where you won three times,” James said, despite Trump losing the state to Joe Biden in 2020.
Michigan will once again be one of the country’s premier political battlegrounds at this year’s midterms, with control of both the governor’s office and a crucial Senate seat up for grabs.
Republicans see the seat as a prime opportunity after Trump narrowly carried the state in the 2024 election against Kamala Harris, thanks in part to the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza and the economy, issues that resonated deeply with the state’s high concentration of Arab-American voters and Detroit’s auto industry workers.
But Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said in response to James’ election denialism last week that he was “too extreme for Michigan.”
“Standing next to Donald Trump on stage, John James once again fully embraced Trump’s 2020 election denial lies rather than talk about the issues facing Michigan families,” Honeyman said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to James.
This is not the first time that a MAGA candidate has been caught out on abortion.
Earlier this year, MAGA billionaire Rick Jackson was caught apparently agreeing that women should have to “prove” they were raped in order to qualify for an abortion.
The remarks have become a flashpoint in Georgia’s closely watched governor’s race, in which Jackson will now run against Democratic nominee and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.
