The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted Thursday to certify the top two Republican candidates for governor, clearing the way for U.S. Rep. John James of Warren to appear on the August primary ballot. The board also rejected two other candidates who failed to gather enough valid signatures.

James, who represents Michigan's 10th Congressional District covering Warren and much of Oakland County, survived a challenge accusing his campaign of submitting fraudulent signatures. A group tied to rival candidate Perry Johnson claimed many of James' sampled signatures were faked or belonged to unregistered voters.

State election staff reviewed 750 signatures chosen at random from James' petitions and found most of the challenged signatures valid. One voter flagged as deceased turned out to be a granddaughter with the same name living at the same address, according to the Bureau of Elections.

"That's forgery under the election law. That's not even a close call," said Michael Pattwell, an attorney with the political action committee Mission Michigan, which filed challenges against both James and Johnson.

Board of State Canvassers Vice Chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz dismissed the claims, saying the board never received a copy of an alleged affidavit submitted to police.

"We don't have the affidavit. So, what are we supposed to do? Act on a rumor?" Gurewitz told reporters after the meeting.

Johnson Survives Signature Challenges Despite Forgery Allegations

Johnson, a businessman who ran for governor in 2022, also faced accusations from a group connected to James' campaign. The challengers alleged that Johnson's campaign added required "paid for by" disclaimers to petition forms after voters had already signed them.

A day before the canvassers' meeting, The Detroit News received an affidavit from Johnson campaign staff alleging the campaign added required disclaimers to petitions featuring signatures from 10,000 voters after the forms were signed.

Johnson's attorney, Jon Burns, called the accusations a "bad faith smear attempt" and said the claims arrived after the official challenge deadline had passed.

"It's an obvious, bad faith smear attempt, and it's gamesmanship, and it's really beneath the board," Burns said.

Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater noted during the meeting that it is unclear under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act whether the "paid for by" statement needs to appear on nominating petitions. Even if there is a violation, Brater said it would not provide grounds to reject the signatures.

Rebandt and Thomas Booted From Ballot

The board found that Republican candidate Pastor Ralph Rebandt did not gather enough valid signatures to qualify. Rebandt and his lawyer asked the board for more time to prove his signatures were valid, but the request was denied.

"I'm still convinced that the 750 [signature] sampling is bad, it's a bad process. Nobody's challenged that yet. So our intention is to challenge that in a larger court. So that's where we're headed," Rebandt told reporters.

On the Democratic side, the board agreed with a Bureau of Elections report that candidate Kim Thomas, a math teacher and former federal auditor, also did not gather enough valid signatures. Thomas pushed back against the finding during the meeting.

What the Ballot Looks Like

The August primary ballot for governor will include:

  • Republican candidates: U.S. Rep. John James, Perry Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township), and former Attorney General Mike Cox
  • Democratic candidates: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson

The board consists of four commissioners, two Democrats and two Republicans. Commissioner Paul Cordes, one of the Republicans on the board, previously served as campaign manager for Johnson's 2024 presidential campaign.

Challenges were not filed for four other candidates: Nesbitt, Cox, Benson, and Swanson.