Republican Senate candidate John James announced Friday that his campaign has donated more than $250,000 to charity over the last six months.
The donations were made under James’ “Nickel Promise,” a pledge to donate five cents of every dollar donated to his campaign to charity.
He said the idea comes from the “Nickel Ride,” an “Army flight school tradition where students give a nickel back to their flight instructors following the former’s inaugural flight,” he explained.
“I am running because I have a passion for service,” James said in a press release. “It is by the grace of God and a generous grassroots army that I am able to use my blessings to be a blessing to others. I am overjoyed that I don’t have to wait until I get elected to begin helping Michiganders who need it the most.”
James expressed frustration with the fact that an estimated $10 billion will be spent by politicians on campaign ads nationwide in the 2020 election cycle.
The campaign’s largest donations were amounts of $25,000 provided to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, Special Olympics Michigan, and the Grand Rapids Veterans Home.
James outraised incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) by $1 million during the fourth quarter of 2019 and received more than $3.5 million in donations in the final quarter. Since announcing the Nickel Promise six months ago, James has raised more than $8 million for his campaign.
His campaign reported cash on hand of more than $6.1 million. Peters and James have raised a combined $17.3 million so far in what is expected to be one of the most closely-watched Senate races of 2020.
According to the most recent statewide poll, Peters holds a small lead of four percentage points over James with 16 percent of voters undecided.
James received national attention during his Senate bid against Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2018 and spoke at President Donald Trump’s recent campaign rally in Michigan.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John James” by John James.
