John James Not Participating In Oakland County GOP's April 30 Debate

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/08/2026) Oakland County GOP Chair Vance Patrick posted Wednesday night that U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) won't agree to participate in their April 30 gubernatorial debate. James' photo was displayed on the flier promoting the event, which his campaign said they never committed to.

"We never committed to the debate. Additionally, it's a session day," said James' chief spokesperson, Hannah Osantowske. "They put us on the invite without our approval."

The Oakland County GOP put out a press release Wednesday evening claiming that James "refused to give a straight answer" to the group's gubernatorial debate. The press release noted that the event was scheduled specifically for April 30 to follow the state's deadline for major party candidates to file their 15,000 to 30,000 signatures to appear on the ballot by 4 p.m. on April 21.

James' campaign has routinely expressed wanting to wait until after the primary field was set before participating in debates.

"We've seen how early, unstructured debates play out here. In 2025, a debate stage helped elevate a candidate who later left the GOP. In 2022, multiple debate participants didn't even make it to the ballot due to massive fraud," Osantowske said. "Rushing to a stage before the field is real doesn't help voters."

For example, near the end of 2025, Genesee County trucker Anthony Hudson participated in the state party's three-part debate series that served as a fundraiser. In February of this year, Hudson announced he would seek the Libertarian Party's nomination instead due to feeling marginalized by party leadership and "tired of the corruption".

During 2022, Perry Johnson, who's running again for governor, was barred from appearing on the primary ballot after the state's Bureau of Elections flagged his petition sheets for carrying forged and invalid signatures. James has pushed back against Johnson in front of the media for both being unable to make a ballot and for trying to run against Trump for president in 2024.

"It's unfortunate that Congressman James won't agree to participate," Patrick said. "Our volunteers put significant time, sweat, and money towards electing John in the past – only to have him turn up his nose at them. I'm very disappointed in this turn of events."