Democrats flood competitive Michigan district as GOP incumbent seeks governor's office

SAUGATUCK, Mich. — A Michigan congressman's decision to run for governor has opened up one of the nation's most competitive House seats, leaving Republicans scrambling to replace one of their top performers in the state and giving Democrats a sudden opportunity to gain a seat in the closely divided Congress.

With U.S. Rep. John James launching a much-anticipated run for governor on Monday, two Democrats this week have jumped at the opportunity to represent Michigan's 10th Congressional District.

Former prosecutor Christina Hines went first, announcing her bid that same day. She was endorsed by fellow Democrat Carl Marlinga, who lost to James in the past two general elections in the district, which was created by redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census.

Hines' announcement was followed soon after by Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel, a former Democratic leader in the state House, who joined the race on Thursday.

''I've spent my entire career as both an elected official and a union-side labor lawyer and civil rights attorney, being focused on improving people's economic well-being,'' Greimel said. ''Those are the issues that people care about, those are the issues that drove me to get into politics.''

Alex Hawkins, an Army veteran and reserve sheriff's deputy in Oakland County, announced a Democratic bid earlier this year. Former Democratic Rep. Andy Levin said he was also considering a run.

Marlinga lost the seat that had been opened by redistricting to James in 2022 by less than 2,000 votes. James grew that margin to over 6 percentage points in 2024 as now-President Donald Trump carried one of the nation's most fiercely contested swing states.

Democrats have made the district one of their top targets in 2026 as part of their effort to regain control of the House, where Republicans cling to a slim majority.

''This swing district just became even harder for Republicans to hold,'' said Courtney Rice, a spokesperson for the Democrats' congressional campaign arm, following the news of James's gubernatorial bid.

Republicans have yet to find their candidate to replace James, a 43-year-old military veteran and the first Black Republican elected to Congress from Michigan.

''Republicans are well-positioned to hold Michigan's 10th congressional district as we retain and grow our majority," said Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the Republicans' congressional campaign arm, in a statement. ''Michiganders rejected the out of touch Democrats' radical agenda in 2024, and they'll do it again in 2026.''

Michigan's 10th Congressional District includes southern Macomb County and parts of Oakland County in the suburbs of Detroit. The area is known as a hub of the auto industry, which has been thrown into turmoil by Trump's aggressive moves to impose tariffs on imports from other countries, including Canada and Mexico, which play key roles in the automotive supply chain. The tariffs have won the partial backing of the United Auto Workers union as potential job creators but have created an air of uncertainty in Michigan politics as a whole.

''I certainly think targeted tariffs against bad actors like China can make a lot of sense, but we shouldn't be going after countries like Canada with which we have shared economic interests,'' Greimel told the AP.

After serving nearly seven years in the Michigan House — where he held a leadership role within his party— Greimel was elected mayor of Pontiac. Although the city is not located in the 10th District — legal residency is not required — he emphasized his ties to the area, noting that he was ''born and raised'' in the district and has spent his ''entire career fighting for people in Southeast Michigan as a whole.''

At her campaign launch on Monday, Hines highlighted her deep roots in Macomb County, sharing that she grew up there and is now raising a family of three children in Warren, a northeastern Detroit suburb.

''Our kids are facing some of the most incredible challenges with cell phones and social media and mental health issues. This is a really serious and trying time for children and families in our community," Hines said at her launch. ''The problem is that when I look around, I don't see folks in Congress that are fighting for those issues.''