Peters, James vie for U.S. Senate seat
Oakland County voters will see two major party candidates, and veterans, on their ballot under the race for U. S. Senate.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is seeking re-election against Republican challenger John James. Both did not have a primary election opponent.
Peters, a Bloomfield Township resident, is seeking his second term in the having been first elected in 2014.
Prior to serving in the Senate, he served three
terms (2009-2014) in the U. S. House representing Michigan’s 9th and 14th Congressional Districts. He has also spent 22 years as an investment advisor, five years as commissioner of the Michigan Lottery (2003-2007), six years in the Michigan Senate (19952002), and 15 years in the U. S. Navy Reserve (19932008), attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He currently serves on four Senate committees including the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Joint Economic Committee, Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation, and the Committee on Armed Services.
James, a Farmington Hills resident, graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point before and
served in U.S. Army from 2004-2012, which included multiple tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was an Apache pilot. He’s the current president and CEO of Southfieldbased James Group International, a global provider of logistics support for Fortune 500 companies.
In 2018, James ran for U.S. Senate against Sen. Debbie Stabenow, but lost by 6.5 percentage points in the general election. According to The Associated Press, Simon Schuster, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, said overall spending — by the campaigns and outside organizations — is likely to exceed $100 million.
MediaNews Group reached out to each candidate with questions pertaining to their candidacy. Due to space limitations in this edition, questions had to be cut from this story.
To view additional candidate questions and re
sponses for this race, and to access coverage for additional federal and Oakland County election races, visit www.theoaklandpress. com/news/elections/. The presidential general election is being held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Peters: I fought to provide Michigan with relief and resources they need in this pandemic including free testing, support for small businesses, expanded unemployment benefits, and funding for hospitals. I’ll continue to work across bipartisan lines for additional relief and to deliver results for Michigan.
James: On the economic
front, COVID-19 has significantly hurt businesses and families. Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are unemployed. Stimulus funds are a short-term fix. For sustained, long-term growth, eliminating barriers for entrepreneurs who want to create jobs in their community is the first step necessary to restarting Michigan’s economy. We must expand economic opportunity for all by increasing access to good paying jobs and by investing in our small businesses and innovators. During and after the recovery, we must focus on prevention and preparedness for the next crisis, with a particular emphasis on making sure our country is able to produce and maintain our manufacturing, stockpiles, labor and supply chains for essential drugs, healthcare equipment, energy and food. These are heavy growth industries with lots of potential to bring jobs to Michigan. In addition to the econ
omy, the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis has demonstrated very clearly that the supply chains for many important drugs and vital medical equipment do not prioritize the best interests of American patients and doctors. All in all, our strategy
must be to return the power to patients and doctors, not partisan politicians. We need a patient-centered market-based approach which provides affordable, quality health care and must protect people with pre- existing conditions.
MNG: What unique challenges has the COVID-19 pandemic created for The United States? How would you help to remedy and combat those challenges?