John James wants an investigation into his race against the Michigan senator
Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James is not conceding defeat to incumbent Sen. Gary Peters and wants an investigation into the race to determine its fairness.
James, a Black businessman and Iraq War veteran who graduated from West Point, fell short of his bid to unseat the first-term senator in Tuesday’s election. Peters was projected to win with 49.8% of the vote in comparison to 48.3% for James with 99% of precincts reporting, according to the New York Times.
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The race was heavily watched, with millions pouring into the contest, and seen as a benchmark as to whether or not Michigan would elect its first Republican senator since 1994, and its first Black senator. James previously lost by 7 points to Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2018, but was seen as very competitive in this effort.
Despite outlets declaring that he fell short of that goal in the battleground state, James is now refusing to concede and claiming “while Senator Peters is currently ahead, I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat.”
James, 39, made the accusation in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday. He maintained that the integrity of democracy was at stake if he were to accept the loss without due diligence that every ballot was legally cast.
“While not everyone wins in an election, voters must be confident that the election was fair and honest,” James wrote in a statement shared on Twitter Thursday. “Failure to do so, is the end of democracy.”
“When this process is complete, I will of course accept the results and the will of the people,” James added, “but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an investigation to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent, legal and fair manner. Those who object likely have something to hide.”
Read More: Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters wins reelection, beats John James
James preemptively criticized those who will find fault in his course of action.
“Those who object likely have something to hide,” James insisted.
James also retweeted a user who claimed that he was actually the victor.
The Detroit News reported that Charlie Spies, an attorney representing James, filed a complaint with the Wayne County Board of Canvassers and alleged Democratic interference. He reportedly claimed that Republican poll watchers weren’t allowed to “meaningfully participate” as the vote count was monitored and cast doubt on the process.
“We have seen and we have witnesses that saw the mysterious appearance of ballots at the TCF Center that can’t be accounted for,” Spies said.
The current tally had Peters leading James by more than 80,000 votes. He laughed off being told that his Republican challenger wanted to contest the outcome of the race during a press conference on Thursday.
“It’s sad and it’s pathetic. They lost,” Peters said to reporters at the Goodison Cider Mill. “It’s very clear. Just count the votes. I understand Mr. James has been running for four years, he’s lost twice now. I understand that doesn’t sit well with him.”
Peters added that James had not yet personally contacted him but urged him not to be a sore loser.
“This is where you see someone’s character,” the senator added. “And they come up and realize that they need to accept the vote of the people of the state of Michigan. I would hope that this nonsense could go away.”
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