Brighton — Under the canopy of the Livingston Gun Club, Rep. John James took part in one of the manliest feats left: shooting guns—a lot of guns—and having fun doing it.
James, currently running for governor, joined me on the range for an afternoon of target shooting, ball-busting, and even a little sports talk.
James’s authenticity is apparent within moments of meeting him. He’s not a politician, at least not in the off-putting salesmen way. He’s a regular guy who happens to be a politician. A father, military veteran, and businessman, James has cut a path away from the carefully modulated drones we’ve come to expect over the last couple of decades in Michigan.
He dropped no workshopped political platitudes finely tuned for the campaign trail. Rather, I felt like I’d escaped the normal workweek routine to hang with a lacrosse dad who knew who his top targets were in fantasy football.
Yeah, we talked a little politics, but only after James mentioned his excitement for the upcoming Detroit Lions season and his amazement with the Detroit Tigers. “We got four professional sports teams that all matter right now,” he said before breaking down the Lions receiving core. (He thinks Michigan native Isaac TeSlaa will be the No. 3 receiver.)
A hardcore politico might find dude-bro normalcy like this unusual. I found it refreshing.
“I’m rusty,” James said before picking up an AR-15 and hitting dead center on several targets. Turning to those around me, I let slip out of the side of my mouth “The f— is this guy talking about?” as he kept nailing targets.
The congressman’s smile might be key to paving his path to Lansing. He seems to be enjoying himself, with a clear optimism for culture-change in Michigan. “It’s okay for men to have fun. It’s okay for men to go shooting and to enjoy their second amendment rights,” he said.
That perspective might find broad approval with voters, and particularly with working-class men who’ve felt the weight of a frowning liberal culture and feminized institutions, from the governor’s office on down to school boards and human resource departments.
Many male voters in Michigan—often uninterested in politics—just want to be left alone to blow off some steam. They want to shoot guns, dip chew, tell politically incorrect jokes, and drop F-bombs without anyone wagging a finger.
James picked up a tactical shotgun with a 20-shell clip and didn’t miss a target.
I was getting nervous. This “rusty” congressman was hitting everything in sight, claiming he hadn’t shot on a course in years. I better not shit the bed.
Quickness might be the game for John James as he ramps up his campaign for governor, and his work is cut out for him. But he has several advantages and an eye on a key issue.
James is a 44-year-old “Xennial” born and raised in Metro Detroit, part of the demographic most hobbled by Democratic policies and agendas during the last several years. Keenly aware that Michigan has a crisis of male hopelessness, he was sharp and to the point: “Michigan needs a culture change to get men motivated and back to work. Too many men not leaving for work in the morning, too many men with idle hands.”
Exploring this current tragic cultural phenomenon, but again with optimism, James said: “Many men are feeling depressed, suffering addiction, and unmotivated.” He mentioned a friend who didn’t finish high school, was addicted to drugs, briefly imprisoned, and only found help through a small business owner who motivated him to pull his life together and become a successful entrepreneur and family man.
James fits the image for what male voters are starving for after years under the thumb of the high-heeled limousine liberals: an alpha male who looks like a 1980s action star.
Built like a member of Arnold’s team in “Predator,” James looks like a dude young male voters should want to emulate, and can imitate. When asked if he played football in high school, James responded that he played rugby. Knowing the roughness of that padless sport, I couldn’t help but reply, “No shit.”
“I need to do this more often.” he said, admitting he went shooting the previous day with his sons to get the feel back since his Army days.
With the 2026 primary cranking into high gear, James’s best advantage likely resides with the suburban male voters.
In anticipation of my range day with the congressman, I queried most every hockey dad I could muster in Metro Detroit on the current gubernatorial field.
Nobody had anything good to say about Jocelyn Benson. In fact, I won’t even repeat the comments. Even my Democrat friends took a hard pass. Most were weary of Mike Duggan, the current mayor of Detroit, with several guys mentioning a “stink of corruption.” Former Attorney General Mike Cox elicits shrugs, though several guys were aware of his campaign and connections to Livonia.
But all of them were aware of John James and gave takes only sports dads can drop: “He’s the helicopter pilot.” “He’s the jacked muthaf—er.” “I saw him at Laurel Park Mall once. I wouldn’t want to f— with him.”
The best response was the simplest: “He looks like one of us.”
Jay Murray is a writer for Michigan Enjoyer and has been a Metro Detroit-based professional investigator for 22 years. Follow him on X @Stainless31.
