Aric Nesbitt suspends campaign for Michigan governor following Trump’s nod for John James

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, who was seeking the Republican nomination for Michigan governor in the August primary, has suspended his campaign for the state’s top office.

Nesbitt’s exit was announced on X late Monday afternoon following President Donald Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township. James has long been the frontrunner in the race, and Trump’s mid-afternoon nod for his gubernatorial campaign sent shockwaves across the race.

Nesbitt is the first among the four gubernatorial candidates to announce his departure after the news broke on Monday that Trump was pulling for James.

“When Trisha and I decided to enter this race nearly eighteen months ago, we knew the path to victory would be neither certain nor easy. But we were driven by a deep love for Michigan and an unshakable faith in its people and its future,” Nesbitt wrote. “We ran to deliver a ‘Make It In Michigan’ agenda for the farmers, families, autoworkers, seniors, and small business owners who have kept this state strong despite years of failed Democratic policies in Lansing. Over the past 18 months, I’ve had the honor of visiting all 83 counties, meeting salt-of-the-earth Michiganders who still believe the American Dream is alive here.”

Nesbitt wrote that his campaign was always about standing with the people of Michigan and Trump to “defeat Democrats in November.” With the reality of the Trump endorsement setting in, Nesbitt said he is now suspending his campaign.

When Trisha and I decided to enter this race nearly eighteen months ago, we knew the path to victory would be neither certain nor easy. But we were driven by a deep love for Michigan and an unshakable faith in its people and its future.

We ran to deliver a “Make It In Michigan”…

— Aric Nesbitt (@aricnesbitt) June 22, 2026

Nesbitt also said he was formally endorsing James for governor.

“John James is a decorated combat veteran who flew helicopters in Iraq, a successful businessman who created jobs, and a fighter who has consistently stood with President Trump’s agenda,” Nesbitt wrote. “He is the best candidate to defeat the Whitmer-Benson agenda of higher taxes, higher prices, woke policies, and incompetent leadership. A divided primary only helps Democrats. It’s time to unite. I’m asking every one of you who supported this campaign to stand with me behind John James, roll up our sleeves, and deliver a Republican victory in November.”

It was an open question on Monday afternoon as to whether Trump’s foray into the Michigan gubernatorial race would affect the remaining candidates’ standing, if some would begin to drop out or carry on to spite James and potentially Trump in the process. Nesbitt answered at least part of that question.

Attorney General Mike Cox and businessman Perry Johnson are still in the race, and their statements issued after Trump’s Monday endorsement blitz — he also endorsed Mike Bouchard in the 10th Congressional District race — showed that Cox and Johson were not willing to step out of the ring any time soon.

“I’m proud to have voted for President Trump in each of his last three elections, to have donated thousands of dollars to support his campaigns, and to have been hired to represent him as his election integrity lawyer in Michigan in 2024,” Cox wrote on X. “I look forward to being President Trump’s favorite Governor when I win.”

Johnson, striking a similar tone, was more critical of Trump in his statement on X.

“President Trump received bad advice yet again. John James is a two-time statewide loser, and Michigan has already seen this movie before: Trump-backed statewide candidates like John James, Tudor Dixon, Matt DePerno, and Kristina Karamo all came up short when it mattered most,” Johnson wrote. “Across the country, Republican voters are proving that an endorsement alone does not decide a governor’s race. Michigan is on track to continue the trend we have seen in states like Iowa and Georgia, and tomorrow South Carolina, where voters rejected bad advice and chose the candidate they believed could actually win.”

Johnson went on to say that if Michigan wants a Republican governor, “defeating John James in this primary is critical.” 

The self-funded Johnson added that he’ll “be working twice as hard to make sure that happens.”