Michigan voters elect Republican John James to US House in newly created 10th District

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Republicans won a newly created congressional district in the Detroit suburbs of Michigan on Tuesday, boosting the party’s effort to take control of the House of Representatives. 

Republican nominee John James was crowned the victor in the contest for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, The Associated Press projects. James, who was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, bested Democratic nominee Carl Marlinga.

The contest was seen as a bellwether for Republican efforts to make inroads with suburban voters. 

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John James ran a campaign largely centered on rising crime rates and 40-year high inflation. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Michigan’s 10th Congressional District is centered on Michigan’s Macomb and Oakland counties, major suburbs of Detroit. Former President Donald Trump narrowly carried the district against President Biden in 2020, according to Michigan’s independent redistricting commission.

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While the district leaned Republican on paper, Marlinga was seen as a competitive challenger. A former probate court judge, Marlinga previously served as Macomb County’s district attorney for nearly 40 years. 

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James ran a campaign largely centered on rising crime rates and 40-year high inflation. 

The contest was seen as a bellwether for Republican efforts to make inroads with suburbanites.

"Reckless, elitist policies of the Democrats have hollowed out the middle class," said James. "They have sent our jobs overseas, inflation through the roof, and made our communities less safe."

Marlinga, meanwhile, stressed his pro-choice stance on abortion and long-running ties to the community by attacking James for allegedly not living in the district. 

Carl Malinga's campaign stressed his pro-choice stance on abortion and long-running ties to the district. (Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)

"Carl has deep roots in this community, he knows this community, and he strongly supports a woman's reproductive freedom," said a spokesman for the campaign in recent weeks. 

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James outraised Marlinga for much of the race. The Center for Responsive Politics indicates that James raised $6.25 million for his bid and spent more than $4.3 million as of mid-October. Marlinga raised slightly over $930,000 and spent $814,000 during the same period.