Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel enters race for US House seat currently held by James
Todd Spangler- Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel announced his candidacy for Michigan's 10th Congressional District.
- Greimel, a Democrat, previously served in the state legislature.
- This is Greimel's second run for Congress, having lost a primary in 2018.
Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel, a Democrat who served seven years in the state legislature and rose to become his party's leader in the House, announced Thursday he will run next year to represent Michigan's 10th District in Congress.
That's the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township. This week, James, a businessman and former Army helicopter pilot who won his second two-year term to the seat last year, announced he would run for governor next year, leaving the seat − in what is considered a competitive district that has leaned Republican in recent elections − open.
The Democratic race to replace James is already getting crowded: Earlier this week, before James even announced his intention to run for governor, Christina Hines, a career prosecutor who earlier lost a bid for Macomb County prosecutor, announced she would enter the race for the seat. Alex Hawkins, an Army veteran from Rochester, entered the race as a Democrat a couple of months ago as well.
No Republican candidates have been widely mentioned as yet looking to succeed James, though there will certainly be interest in the open seat.
Greimel's entry into the race after more than three years as Pontiac's mayor continues a trend of this district attracting candidates who live outside its boundaries. The 10th District is made up of southern Macomb County and that part of Oakland County that includes Rochester and Rochester Hills. But James, who made two unsuccessful U.S. Senate races before winning the seat, lived in Farmington Hills before relocating to Shelby Township after his win; at least two Democrats who initially mounted a challenge to James in last year's election lived outside the district.
The law doesn't preclude a candidate running for or representing a district he or she doesn't live in, as long as they reside in the state. Greimel, who says he plans to move into the district, doesn't consider it an issue.
"I was born and raised in the 10th District and I've spent my entire adult life fighting for the well-being of working families and middle class people here in Southeast Michigan," he told the Free Press this week, noting that he previously resided in Rochester Hills. "I've served in a variety of elected capacities, including as a school board member and as a county commissioner in the 10th District and I have a successful track record of being able to deliver results for everyday people."
Greimel noted that as Democratic leader in the state House in Lansing at a time when the party was in minority, he helped lead an effort to expand Medicaid coverage and increase the minimum wage. A labor lawyer who worked to promote union protections, he said Michigan and the 10th District needs "a fighter in D.C. and I want to make sure that I continue to deliver results to improve the economic well-being of people at the national level."
He said that while James and other Republicans managed to win in the district, to his way of thinking, that's been because Democrats "haven't been talking about the issues that matter most to the voters." He said that means targeted tariffs going after "bad actors" like China but recognizing our integrated supply chains with Canada. It means expanding health care access and investing in education.
"The other thing I'll say is we need to do more to protect our clean water," Greimel said. "This district has a long shoreline on Lake St. Clair. It has a lot of beautiful inland lakes and rivers and we need to make sure that the federal government is properly protecting people's access to clean water."
It's not Greimel's first run for Congress: In 2018, he ran in a five-person Democratic primary in what was then the 11th Congressional District based in Oakland County to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Birmingham. With 22% of the vote, Greimel came in second to the candidate who would go on to win the seat, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, who got 27%.
Greimel said he had been planning to run in the 10th District next year whether James was in the race or not.
"I've always been of the opinion that this is a competitive general election (district) regardless of whether or not Congressman James runs for election," he said. "This is a 50-50 district that is going to be competitive and our campaign is going to be focused on the issues that matter most to residents which is the economy and their economic well-being."
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler