John James just upped the contention that his Michigan Republican Senate primary rival, Sandy Pensler, isn’t a true Trump supporter in a new ad given to the Washington Examiner exclusively, using his rival’s own words to underscore his point:
The ad shows Pensler at what appears to be a speaking event in three short clips the first one saying “We have a president who, I will tell you, I do not like his personal style,” followed by “There is a difference between right and wrong, even if he doesn’t embody them always himself” and finally, “I can’t speak at a fourth grade level like he does.”
The ad closes with, “Liberal Sandy Pensler, he trashes Trump, just like a Democrat.”
The ad comes just under one month before the Aug. 7 Michigan primary, when Republican primary voters will choose between James, a charismatic former Army pilot and businessman from Farmington Hills, and Pensler, a Grosse Point businessman. Both are vying to unseat Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in this fall’s midterm election cycle.
The battle between James and Pensler isn’t just for who is the most authentic conservative, there is also a new twist in this cycle, one seen played out in other Republican House and Senate primaries: Who is the most authentic standard-bearer to the Trump coalition?
Last week both men faced off in East Lansing for the only debate scheduled in the primary calendar in a no-rules format that had both men going toe to toe on social issues, Trump support, and local politics. But their heat mostly focused on who was the true conservative in the race.
Pensler has nearly three times the amount of cash that James has on hand, with Pensler’ s money coming largely from a $5 million loan he gave himself. Most of James’ cash comes from small donations.
