John James, a rare black Republican, is addressing racial inequality in his bid to oust Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan but resisting anointment as a national celebrity by a GOP desperate to grow its share of nonwhite voters.
Ten days after George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer, James broadcast a television advertisement calling the incident a “cowardly act of evil which demands justice.” James regularly discussing the discrimination his father faced growing up in Jim Crow Mississippi and his swift response to civil unrest sweeping the country fit with a campaign that consistently criticizes political leaders in Lansing and Washington for ignoring the plight of impoverished, urban black people.
But on Monday, James was touring a dairy farm in Jackson County, a mostly white, rural enclave in south-central Michigan.
James’s top advisers are convinced Peters is vulnerable and can be defeated even if President Trump falls short against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, claiming Peters has been an absent senator who has spent his first term ignoring vital issues. So, they are determined to keep James focused on Michigan and avoid any attempts by leading Republicans to turn the telegenic, charismatic challenger into the party’s national spokesman on race.
“We’re just a candidate in Michigan trying to win a Senate race,” said Curt Anderson, a Republican strategist advising James.
Michigan Democrats reject the Republican attacks on Peters and argue that James is trapped by Trump. The Republican trails the senator, who is enjoying an average lead of 9.5 percentage points in recent polls tracked by RealClearPolitics. This puts him in even worse shape than the president, who was statistically tied with Biden in two recent surveys.
“There is a real choice in this race: Gary, who has a strong record of actually getting things done for Michigan, and John James, a failed politician who has spent most of the last year fundraising out-of-state instead of hearing from Michiganders,” said Elena Kuhn, spokeswoman for the Michigan Democratic Party.
In the wake of Floyd’s death, GOP leaders have tapped the relatively few prominent black Republicans active in national politics to make the case that Trump and the party take black concerns seriously and to rebut Democratic claims of Republican racial insensitivity and even, racism.
On Capitol Hill, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who is black, led Republican efforts to write a police reform bill, urging his party to take seriously complaints by many black people that they are not treated fairly by the police. In the administration, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has vouched for Trump, who has touted his economic record pre-coronavirus as benefiting all races — particularly African Americans.
On the campaign trail, James decided to run a television spot that aimed to unify voters behind a denunciation of Floyd’s killing and pointedly criticized the riots. “Everyone using Floyd’s death as an excuse to loot and burn is criminal,” said the U.S. Military Academy graduate and military combat veteran in remarks made straight-to-camera. James often discusses the issues plaguing disadvantaged communities, both white and black.
But the Republican Party has a habit of recruiting its few minority standard-bearers to take prime speaking slots at the national presidential nominating convention and other major events. Being so unique, black Republicans are often in demand by bookers at cable television news networks. That’s what the James campaign is trying to avoid, seeing a hyper-focus on Michigan and kitchen table issues as a recipe for victory.
“Peters has been in office for 30 years, and he’s accomplished very little,” said Stu Sandler, a Republican consultant in Michigan advising James. “This race is about John James right now because of all of his accomplishments. There’s no examination of Peters and his lack of accomplishments.”
