Summary

John James was born in 1981. He is challenging Senator Gary Peters in the race for Michigan’s Senate seat.

John James is a businessman and veteran. He served for eight years in the U.S. army and participated in multiple tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2012, James joined a global supply chain management service company. He served as a board member of the Michigan Council for Future Mobility, National Veteran Business Development Council and, most recently, on the Detroit Workforce Development Board.

In 2018, James ran for Michigan’s other Senate seat. He won the Republican primary with about 55% of the vote and became the Republican nominee for the seat. However, he lost the general election to incumbent Senator Debbie Stabenow 52.3% to 45.8%.

The Republican primary in Michigan took place on August 4, 2020. James ran unopposed after another candidate was disqualified prior to the primary.

Below is John James’s record and public positions on issues important to the Jewish community.

In 2018, John James responded to our 2018 American Jewish Congress Senate Candidate Questionnaire where he indicated many positions on Israel and other Jewish-related issues.

John James did not support for the Iran nuclear agreement and he indicated that he would have voted against it if he had the opportunity. He said that it is imperative that Iran is “never in the position to develop a nuclear weapon or intercontinental ballistic missile,” and said that he would leave “every option in the table” in terms of how to address the threats stemming from Iran.

James has stated that he supports the U.S. commitments to Israel security, including the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding, adding that he supports the “creation of future Memorandum of Understandings, back by Congress, so that security assistance to Israel continues to ensure Israel’s military advantage in the region.

John James supports the Taylor Force Act. He supported the decision of the Trump administration to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. James supports the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He has said that he opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel and has indicated that he would support legislation to combat this fundamentally discriminatory movement, including the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Combating BDS Act.