While Republican Senate candidate John James has done his best to distance himself from President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, it seems now he's embracing the President's worst impulses — spreading a conspiracy theory about a rigged election without evidence and refusing to concede.
Incumbent Democrat Gary Peters declared victory in Tuesday's very close race on Wednesday. On Thursday, the John James campaign issued the following statement:
"This campaign is not about me, it never has been. It’s about the People of Michigan. Every vote must count, and elections must be fair and honest.
"Fair elections are at the foundation of representative democracy. American citizens deserve to know that the democratic process has not been circumvented by the powerful or politically connected. While not everyone wins in an election, voters must be confident that the election was fair and honest.
"Failure to do so, is the end of democracy.
"I put my life on the line in Iraq— where I flew missions to protect free and fair elections. I care all the more that free and fair elections take place in Michigan— where I was born and raised.
"While Senator Peters is currently ahead, I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat.
"When this process is complete, I will of course accept the results and the will of the people, 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."
Exactly what evidence of cheating James is referring to is not clear. He could be referring to a lawsuit from President Donald Trump's campaign demanding the count of ballots be halted until poll watchers could gain "meaningful access" to the process. But Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens dismissed the case because Michigan's ballots have mostly already been counted and poll watchers were allowed access to the process.
James's request for every ballot to now be counted is also curious, considering he retweeted campaign adviser Stu Sandler preemptively declaring victory on Wednesday — long before Michigan election workers had finished counting the ballots.
Both tweets appearing back to back on James's feed pretty much sums things up:
Peters leads James by more than 80,000 votes.
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