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“John James has spent his first term trying to enact an extreme, right-wing agenda. He voted for legislation to restrict abortion access nationwide, joined a committee that wants to raise the age of retirement and gut Social Security, and took marching orders from the dark money donors who got him elected. This November, James’ extremism will finally catch up with him and voters will elect Carl Marlinga to continue his work upholding the rule of law and protecting people’s fundamental rights,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Aidan Johnson
Date: August 6, 2024
Subject: The Case Against John James
During his first term, John James has done nothing to help Michigan families and everything to cater to MAGA extremists. James, the election denier, was one of the first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trump in 2024 and he has been pushing a dangerous agenda straight out of the pages of Project 2025. After he was elected, James joined the Republican Study Committee, embracing a budget that would gut Social Security and Medicare, raise the age of retirement, and repeal the Affordable Care Act. He partnered with extreme Republicans to restrict the safe and effective abortion medication mifepristone nationwide. And he did the bidding of his dark money donors, often at the expense of his own constituents.
For those who have followed James throughout his political career, this is nothing new. When James unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, he was vehemently anti-abortion, comparing it to “genocide” and promising that he “always will be” pro-life. He talked about gutting seniors’ hard earned benefits, arguing that the social safety net programs should be looked at, reformed, and reduced in the pursuit of cutting government costs.
Despite his bravado and carefully crafted talking point, John James’ legislative record shows a complete disregard for the health, safety, and economic stability of working class Michiganders. With Carl Marlinga, Michigan’s 10th Congressional District will once again have a representative that puts their concerns above all else.
As a lifelong Macomb County resident, Carl served almost 40 years as the Macomb County Prosecutor, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and most recently as a judge. He’s spent his career upholding the rule of law, protecting people’s fundamental rights, and led efforts to protect our Great Lakes. While Carl has looked violent criminals in the eye and sent them to prison, James looks at women and doctors that provide reproductive care and wants to criminalize them. Carl Marlinga is the best person to prosecute the case and take on John James.
James Will Ban Abortion Nationwide
Since the Dobbs decision, John James has never been held accountable for his extreme anti-abortion agenda. On the campaign trail, he supported overturning Roe v. Wade and promised to “not stop fighting until we end abortion.” A perennial candidate for Congress, James also proudly professed that he is “100% Pro-Life. Always have been. Always will be.” After Michigan codified women’s reproductive rights in the state’s constitution, James changed his tune and tried to misleadingly convince his constituents that “abortion is a settled issue.” But that was just another lie.
In Congress, his record speaks for itself. James has voted in favor of several anti-abortion bills, including restricting access to mifepristone and punishing doctors who provide abortion care. Most notably, he is a member of the Republican Study Committee which endorsed the Life at Conception Act — a near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest that would also outlaw IVF.
Yet James has repeatedly tried to distract Michigan voters from his anti-choice record. He was called out for completely skipping over the issue in his speech at the GOP convention last month. However, when it comes down to the wire, James will happily bend the knee to Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson and vote to ban abortion nationwide.
James Will Gut Social Security, Privatize Medicare, and Rip Health Care Coverage Away From Michiganders
John James hasn’t shied away from talking about how he will cut Michiganders’ hard earned benefits. As a member of the Republican Study Committee, James’ extreme budget would reward the ultra-wealthy while raising costs for seniors and working-class Michiganders.
Chief amongst James’ disastrous policies is a plan to extend Donald Trump’s tax scam that benefits the ultra-rich with little to no benefit for small businesses or the middle-class. Such a tax cut would balloon the national debt by up to $2.7 trillion over the next decade.
In order to pay for this handout, James would cut Social Security, privatize Medicare, and leave hundreds of thousands of Michiganders without quality, affordable health care coverage. In practice, that would mean raising the retirement age and forcing more than $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security.
Finally, James’ agenda also includes massively increasing health insurance premiums for seniors – resulting in a shift towards higher costs for fewer benefits that would devastate the most vulnerable in Michigan.
With no help for average families, James’ plan for the economy only serves to raise everyday costs – and Michiganders are fed up.
James Is In The Pocket Of Special Interests
As a candidate and now as a member of Congress, James has always put his dark money donors ahead of Michigan. His 10% lifetime score from the AFL-CIO is the result of him protecting corporations at the expense of union workers. For instance, James repeatedly sides with Big Oil, threatening the longevity and safety of the Great Lakes and the water that millions of Michiganders depend on for recreation, drinking water, and economic security.
In 2020 during his second failed Senate campaign, Americans for Prosperity Action, a Koch-backed dark money PAC, spent more than $735,000 on James. Koch Industries is one of the largest oil manufacturers in the world and was responsible for a disastrous pile up of petroleum in the Detroit River in 2013. His failed 2020 Senate campaign was also powered by nearly $320,000 from the oil and gas industry, and an additional $20,000 from Koch Industries’ PAC and employees.
And in 2022 when James finally gave up on statewide office and ran in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, AFP Action spent more than $316,000 on his campaign, in addition to James taking more than $80,000 from the oil and gas industry. In Washington, James has kept up his end of the bargain and voted against a bipartisan amendment that would block oil drilling and exploration in the Great Lakes.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
The Gander: 7 things to know about Republican US Rep. John James [The Gander, 5/30/24]
1. James won’t stop fighting to ban abortion.
2. James wants to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.
3. James supported tax cuts for the rich.
4. James tried to ban free meals at public schools.
5. James supported efforts to send older adults back to work.
6. James tried to weaken federal environmental protections.
7. James isn’t your only option in November.
NOTUS: John James Once Compared Abortion to ‘Genocide.’ Now He Says the Issue Is ‘Decided.’ [NOTUS, 4/18/24]
The Gander: John James skips over his anti-abortion record at Republican National Convention [The Gander, 7/16/24]
Heartland Signal: Michigan Republicans took in thousands from fake electors facing felony charges [Heartland Signal, 8/7/23]
NBC News: House Republican budget calls for raising the retirement age for Social Security [NBC News, 3/20/24]
The New Republic: House Republicans Proudly Endorse National Abortion Ban, Limits to IVF [The New Republic, 3/21/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
Last cycle, Michigan’s 10th Congressional District was one of the closest races in the country. Despite being outspent nearly 8:1, Democrats lost the district by only 1,600 votes. The general election is a rematch between John James and Carl Marlinga, but the race is fundamentally different.
This year, Carl Marlinga enjoys a much higher name ID and went through the Democratic primary without burning through his campaign cash-on-hand. In a presidential year with a motivated base, this is a district that simply leans Democratic. If 2022 had seen presidential level turnout among Democratic base voters, John James would not be a member of Congress today.
But the most important factor in 2024 is that John James has built an even greater anti-abortion record that will be fully prosecuted. By a fourteen point margin, voters in MI-10 supported the ballot measure that codified reproductive rights in the state’s constitution, which explains why James is sprinting away from his support for banning abortion nationwide. James never had to answer for his extremism in 2022. That won’t be the case this November.
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