Opinion – Michigan is off course — I am ready to lead with duty and direction

West Point taught me to lead with purpose, even in the toughest conditions. Michigan is at a crossroads—and it’s time to step up.

Our state’s economy is slipping. Manufacturing jobs are vanishing. Small businesses are being squeezed. Families are being left behind. And now, Michigan has the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.

Over the last year, we have lost more than 25,000 jobs in manufacturing and business services — sectors that built the American middle class. In places like Flint, Bay City, and Saginaw, unemployment has climbed above 7 percent, even as nearby states like Indiana and Ohio are growing and attracting investment.

That is unacceptable for a state that builds nearly 20 percent of all U.S. autos and employs almost 600,000 manufacturing workers earning strong middle-class wages. That industrial strength should be an advantage, instead of a detriment, hollowed out by bad policy and punishing taxes.

With a 4.25 percent income tax, 6 percent sales and corporate taxes, and one of the highest property tax burdens in the Midwest, Michigan is one of the most expensive states to live, work, and do business. A 2023 surplus should’ve triggered tax relief, but Governor Whitmer and her allies reinterpreted the law and reversed it. Now, Lansing progressives want to impose a 5 percent surcharge on higher earners in 2026 — another Marxist policy that would drive still more families and businesses out of the state.

It is no wonder Michigan ranks 49th in population growth. Young people are leaving Democrat-run states for Republican-run states where they can afford to live. If we want the next generation to raise families and buy homes here, we must make Michigan affordable again.

While the Whitmer administration touts a cherry-picked report claiming Michigan is a top ten state for business, the reality is stark. High unemployment, net outmigration, and dismal job growth don’t add up to a success story.

The fastest-growing states are red states proving what works: lower taxes, abundant energy, affordable living, skilled workers, reliable infrastructure and a climate where businesses and families thrive. It’s time for Michigan to compete — and win — by embracing the fundamentals: cheap, reliable energy; a trained, healthy workforce; and real infrastructure investment in roads, bridges, water, sewer, and broadband.

For years, billions in investment have flowed to our Midwest neighbors. Yet Michigan, despite its natural advantages, is being left off the bid lists entirely. That’s because businesses aren’t just looking for tax incentives; they want a state that works with them, not against them.

We also need a state government that treats citizens and business owners like customers, not criminals. That means streamlining permitting and building a pro-growth culture focused on customer service. A functioning government that works with, not against, business is a low bar, but it’s one that Democrats seem to struggle with.

As someone who has run a business, I know attracting new investment is important. But taking care of existing customers must be the first priority. To start, Lansing should spend more energy retaining Michigan employers than wasting its tax dollars.

Look no further than Whitmer’s $670 million SOAR subsidies, which could have reduced property taxes or “fixed the damn roads,” as she says, but instead went to creating a remarkable zero jobs.

I have seen what leadership under pressure requires. I flew Apache helicopters in combat in Iraq. I grew a family-owned automotive logistics company coming out of the Great Recession. I have served in Congress, delivering results on President Trump’s America First Agenda.

Right now, Michigan needs a leader who has a history of accomplishing tough missions — from war to Washington, no excuses.

Trump showed us what real leadership looks like, delivering historic results despite relentless opposition. That’s what it means to lead with resolve, and it’s exactly what Michigan needs now.

While others switched teams when the media piled on, I stayed loyal to Trump because real leaders don’t run from the fight — they run toward it. He signed my Clean Trucks Congressional Review Act into law, repealing an EPA rule that would have gutted small trucking businesses. That’s execution.

On July 4, Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping agenda to invest in our workers, cut taxes on tips and overtime, strengthen small businesses, and invest in national defense and border security.

Now is the time to bring that same urgency home. Every mission needs a plan. Here’s where we start:

Rebuild the economy by cutting income taxes, ending wasteful spending, and streamlining permitting.
Protect parental rights with school choice, curriculum transparency, and a ban on radical agendas in classrooms.
Secure our communities by cracking down on fentanyl, sanctuary cities, and violent repeat offenders.
Raise academic standards and expand skilled trades and career-tech options.
Lower healthcare costs with price transparency, telehealth access, and strong protections for families and seniors.
Make Michigan affordable by reducing energy costs, protecting farmland, and fixing property taxes.
Clean up Lansing with audits of wasteful DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and ESG (Environmental and Social Governance) programs and a budget that works like the families who fund it.

Comebacks aren’t easy. They are fought one battle at a time. I have seen it on the battlefield and the factory floor.

This is about restoring opportunity, rebuilding our economy, and serving with the same commitment I brought to the military. Michigan has what it takes to lead again—and I’m ready to help get us there.

Let’s Fly.

John James (R-Mich.) represents Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a candidate in the Republican primary for governor in 2026.

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