Rep. John James (R-MI) filed paperwork on Friday to run for reelection for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the AP, meaning he is opting against running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) in 2024.
James is a first-term Republican congressman from Michigan who is considered a rising star in the party. The first-term congressman has already had two unsuccessful Senate bids, losing against Stabenow in 2018 and Sen. Gary Peters (D) in 2020, before successfully running for the House.
Though many expected James to run for Senate, remaining in the House is a win for House Republicans who recruited him. When he won the Detroit-area congressional seat last year, he became Michigan’s first black Republican member of Congress.
Stabenow announced in early January that she would not be seeking another term in the Senate, which has ultimately raised the vulnerability of the seat since the Democrats slimly hold the upper chamber, 51 to 49. There will be a presidential campaign on the ticket during this upcoming election cycle.
Not having an incumbent Democrat senator in Michigan could help the Republicans’ chances across the state, while a GOP candidate for Senate and president would be at the top of the ticket. In the last presidential election, President Joe Biden only won with roughly 50.5 percent in the 2020 presidential election.
Republican State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder was the first GOP candidate to announce a run for Stabenow’s seat. And on the Democrat side, Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Debbie Dingell, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist all have been rumored to mount a run for the seat.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.