Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

United States Senate election in Michigan, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


2026 →
← 2014
U.S. Senate, Michigan
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 8, 2020
Primary: August 4, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Gary Peters (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic
Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
U.S. Senate, Michigan
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th
Michigan elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

A Republican Party primary took place on August 4, 2020, in Michigan to determine which Republican candidate would run in the state's general election on November 3, 2020.

John James advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Michigan.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
May 8, 2020
August 4, 2020
November 3, 2020


Heading into the election, the incumbent was Gary Peters (Democrat), who was first elected in 2014.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2]

This page focuses on Michigan's United States Senate Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the state's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Michigan modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Candidate filing procedures: The petition signature requirements for select primary candidates was reduced to 50 percent of their statutory requirements. The filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8.
  • Voting procedures: Absentee ballot applications sent automatically to all registered voters in the primary election.
  • Political party events: The Democratic Party of Michigan canceled its state convention, originally scheduled for March 21, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Michigan

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John James
John James Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,005,315

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,005,315
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[3] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

John James

Image of John James

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "When I was 17, I made the decision to serve my country. I worked my way into the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. After graduating in 2004, I became a Ranger-qualified aviation officer and served with distinction in Operation Iraqi Freedom earning a Combat Action Badge (CAB) and two Air Medals while logging 753.8 flight hours in theater leading two platoons of Apache attack helicopters. I earned a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy, as well as a Master of Supply Chain Management and Information Systems from Penn State University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. I am also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. After I returned to Michigan, I started to work at my family business: James Group International. My father created the company in the 70s and took it from one truck and one trailer and grew it into a $35 million company. As President, I created 100 additional jobs in Michigan and around the country and increased the value to $137 million."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Prosperity Agenda. I am the walking result of the American Dream, but for too many people that dream may never become a reality. We live in the greatest country on Earth. We need to make sure every Michigander who wants to work for it can be on the path to Prosperity. That is why I introduced my Prosperity agenda that focuses on education and entrepreneurship, public health, working families and infrastructure. I believe the American Dream is worth fighting for. I believe the American Dream is worth sacrificing for. I want more people to have a shot at the American Dream.

Status Quo is a no-go. The status quo has left Michigan lurching from crisis to crisis, while career politicians do nothing and get reelected. People are hurting and career politicians have failed us. Whether your home is urban or rural, a neglected neighborhood or forgotten farm, politicians have failed our state and are pitting us against each other to maintain their power. Michiganders need a change. They need a tested leader who will prioritize common purpose and future focus, fix root causes and address real enemies.

Experience Matters. Representation Matters. As the world continues to become a more dangerous place, I have been battle-tested in combat, making life and death decisions in a split second. I know what it takes to keep Americans safe because I've done it before. I know what it takes to create jobs because I've done it before. I have succeeded in the toughest of environments. The best thing we can do for the people in the state of Michigan is to make sure that we have the best representation and the most experienced leadership as we emerge from the physical and economic struggles of COVID and as we seek to repair hundreds of years of racial injustice.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Michigan in 2020.


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[4] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[5] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
John James Republican Party $48,764,414 $47,661,002 $1,611,368 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[6]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[7][8][9]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Michigan, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
  2. ↑ Michigan.gov, "Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary," accessed October 7, 2024
  3. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  4. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  5. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  6. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  7. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  8. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  9. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Gary Peters (D)
Elissa Slotkin (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (7)


v • e
2019-2020 Elections to the United States Congress
Senate by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona (special) • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Georgia (special) • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming
CongressLogo.png
House by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Election information
Super PACs/Organizations
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=United_States_Senate_election_in_Michigan,_2020_(August_4_Republican_primary)&oldid=8720967"