John James tapped Jay DeBoyer as his running mate in Michigan's governor's race on Aug. 13, putting a state House Republican who has spent years policing Democrats in Lansing on the statewide ticket. James announced the pick in a post on X and cast DeBoyer as someone who can work across party lines while leading a fight against corruption, fraud, waste and abuse.
The choice matters now because the Michigan GOP is set to formally nominate its statewide candidates at its Aug. 22 convention, and DeBoyer's place on the ticket is not locked in until then. If he is nominated for lieutenant governor, local GOP party leaders would choose a replacement for his seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.
DeBoyer brings a record that fits the campaign James wants to run. He chairs the Michigan House of Representatives' Oversight Committee, was first elected to the Michigan House in 2022, and represents parts of Macomb and St. Clair counties. Before that, he served 12 years as St. Clair County's clerk and also worked as Clay Township's trustee and supervisor. He has owned a lumber business since 1994.
He also arrives with a ready-made fight. DeBoyer has accused Jocelyn Benson of obscuring training materials for election officials from state lawmakers, while Benson has said some of the material could make Michigan vulnerable to attacks. In a June 2025 committee hearing, he also accused her of breaking campaign law by holding her gubernatorial launch event in the building that houses her department's offices.
That history gives James a combative partner, but it also leaves one practical question hanging over the ticket: whether DeBoyer gets through the convention and into the race for lieutenant governor at all. Benson has until Aug. 25 to choose her own running mate, and with Gretchen Whitmer term-limited, the contest to replace her is now moving into its final stage before the Nov. 3 election.
