Leonard Ends Governor's Bid; Absent James Takes More Shots At MPA Forum

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/23/2026) Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Leonard announced on Facebook that he is withdrawing from the race after taking an “honest look at the path forward.”

The former House speaker and Republican attorney general nominee, who has struggled to raise the type of money his Republican opponents; John James (R-Shelby Township), Perry Johnson, Mike Cox and Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton); have raised has struggled to get out of the low single digits in public polling.

“And at the end of the day, I’m not willing to compromise who I am or how I believe this campaign should be run in order to win,” he wrote. “Michigan deserves better. And right now, that means coming together, focusing on what unites us, and doing everything we can to move our state forward in November.”

Leonard is a partner with the law firm of Plunkett Cooney. He's the practice group leader for government relations, public policy and regulatory compliance.

In other news from the Governor's race, four of the remaining Republican candidates said at a Michigan Press Association forum didn't oppose the federal government getting involved in Michigan’s elections. Co-Republican frontrunner Perry Johnson even called for federal involvement, something the Michigan Democratic Party flagged.

Also during the forum, Johnson said he found it “a little nutty” that James is working with Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) to pass a “kill switch” bill, legislation that requires all new cars to be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology by roughly 2026–2027.

James was not at the MPA forum. A spokesperson said earlier in the week that he had votes in Congress on Thursday. Independent gubernatorial Mike Duggan and Democrat Jocelyn Benson also all turned down an invitation to appear, leaving five appearing – Johnson, Mike Cox, Chris Swanson, Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) and Ralph Rebandt.

Cox said James's decision to, once again, pass on any opportunity to show up on the same stage as his other Republican candidates "is the clearest sign yet that his once-hyped campaign is crashing out.

“He says he’s not coming because he’s taking votes in DC, which would be a believable excuse, except for the fact that he has the worst voting record of any member of the Michigan delegation,” said Cox. “The only thing this guy likes less than doing his job is having to answer questions back home.”