"Yet, we live in a society where conservative speech is experienced as violence, whereas liberal violence is construed as speech," James said. "Those who espouse conservative thought on college campuses are shouted down, fired, even given failing grades and shot in the neck." 

James is poised against Democratic nominee and current Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the race for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s seat in November. The gubernatorial hopeful pledges to lower the personal income tax if his campaign is successful. 

James said he had been in contact with Kirk, who founded the Turning Point USA movement, in the weeks before the assassination. James refused to watch the video of Kirk's assassination that circulated in the hours after his death, ordering those around him to "power down their screens because eyes are the window into the soul," he said. 

James added that Kirk’s death impacted "millions" around the world like no other murder he can recall in his lifetime, with people singing hymns, praying, holding vigils and marching without "one single car or government building burned." 

State Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, who is James' running mate, said Kirk's death was the "most devastating" example of a rallying cry for conservative youth. DeBoyer lauded members of TPUSA for "being strong in the face of people that want to attack (them)." 

To TPUSA, in particular, James said, "So when they call us Nazis and fascists and racists and threats to democracy, you love them anyway. When they mock us as we mourn, we pray for them harder." 

Social relations and policy senior Anton Gegaj, a TPUSA member, saw Kirk when he visited MSU as part of "The American Comeback Tour" in April of 2025. 

"He had built one of the most powerful youth movements this country has ever seen. He was never afraid to say what he believed," Gegaj said. "He would sit across from someone who disagreed with everything he said, and he would make his case without any apology." 

Gegaj went on to say that Kirk envisioned an America where people could settle their differences peacefully, unlike organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which have "smeared" TPUSA as "far-right extremists." 

The SPLC has become a sore point in Benson's gubernatorial run after the U.S. Department of Justice found the organization donated $3 million to individuals associated with extremist groups, including the KKK. Benson served on the SPLC’s board of directors from 2014 to 2018. 

James attributed his defeat of Perry Johnson during the August primary to the fact that "people are rejecting the politics of violent division," and that they want a leader who "understands what it takes to increase affordability" and "increase economic development."

"When we’re talking about affordability, part of this is making sure that we are able to cut our spending, cut taxes and grow economy — that includes people’s personal economy," James said. 

If elected governor, James seeks to lower the personal income tax by "cutting the pork" in his first year. 

By "pork," James specified politicians’ pet projects in Lansing, improper payments, fraud and unspent general funds. 

"By doing things like this, we can lower our tax rate without touching vital services like education, public safety, infrastructure and healthcare," James said. "We are not going to fix the blame; we are gonna fix the problem, and the start is making sure that we are lowering the tax burden on everybody."

Michigan's education system "continues to fail" with the state ranking 44th in literacy on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). James pointed to the inability to implement a strategy to support teachers, get more resources into the classroom and reward merit as contributors. 

"Holding ourselves to a higher standard doesn’t mean being haughty; it means being humble," he said. "The only way for us to get America out of this place, the only way for us to get Michigan out of this place, is for believers to focus less on fear and more on faithfulness. To hold ourselves to a higher standard, just like Charlie did."