MI-10 Race Backgrounder

Carl Marlinga Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Carl Marlinga, a former Macomb County Prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and judge on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court and Probate Court, will be a climate champion for Michiganders. Marlinga said fighting climate change would be a top priority of his in Congress, and has pledged to be an environmental steward for the state by protecting its Great Lakes and waterways from corporate polluters. Marlinga also said he would work to increase production of solar and wind energy in office and believes the United States “must move ourselves to a renewable energy economy.” Legislation that Marlinga supported has led to a clean energy boom in MI-10, spurring $127 million in investment and helping create 325 new clean energy jobs, and with his support, will continue to see more. It should be no surprise that along with his pro-environment, pro-clean energy stances, Marlinga is ready to take on Big Oil – he has criticized them for “gouging” consumers and said “maybe it’s time we did some investigation and close them down,” while also committing to not accepting any money from them in his campaign. 

In stark contrast, Representative John James is running for reelection and has made fighting for Big Oil’s interests a centerpiece of his campaign. James claimed “the jury is still out on exactly the impact man is having” on climate change and insisted that “federal overreach” was “not the answer” to tackling the crisis. He’s also railed against the “Democrat globalist Green New Deal Agenda” while supporting fossil fuel development and Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. And while James claims to care about water and air pollution, his policy positions tell a different story – he wants to keep the United States reliant on dirty fossil fuels, has introduced legislation that would undo pollution standards, and even voted against an amendment to block oil drilling and exploration in the Great Lakes. He has opposed the transition to clean energy at every opportunity, spreading falsehoods about solar and wind power, electric vehicles, and voting to repeal provisions of the bill that have led to his district’s clean energy boom. It should come as no surprise that James’ campaigns have been well financed by Big Oil to advance their interests – receiving over $550,000 from the industry over his career and over $1 million dollars in support from PACs closely aligned with Big Oil. 

James is completely out of touch with the Michiganders. 73% of Michiganders support increasing the share of electricity that is produced from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, while James voted to repeal provisions that have led to his district’s clean energy boom. In Michigan, the impacts  of climate change and continued reliance on fossil fuels will mean more extremely hot days, more frequent heavy rainstorms, and ice cover on the Great Lakes forming later or melting sooner. 

The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, Michigan has experienced 31 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $104.9 billion in damages and killed 371 people. 

• Climate change has caused Michigan to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. Michigan is the 15th-fastest warming state in the nation. By 2045, most counties in lower Michigan will experience one to two more weeks of extreme heat each summer.
• Michigan outdoor workers could lose up to $466 million in earnings every year due to extreme heat, with the counties of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland being hit hardest. Michigan’s 10th Congressional District consists of Oakland County and part of Macomb County. 
• According to the American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air report, Macomb County, which is partially located in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, received an F grade for the number of high-ozone days.

Advancing Climate Action

If You Say One Thing

While Carl Marlinga will make fighting climate change a top priority in Congress, John James is a classic climate skeptic.  James has cast doubt on the impact of climate change and claims the “jury is still out” on mankind’s impact, while also supporting the expansion of fossil fuel development and Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

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• Marlinga said fighting climate change would be a top priority in Congress. 
• In 2018, James insisted that “federal overreach” was “not the answer” to tackling the climate crisis.
• In 2018, James said “the jury is still out on exactly the impact man is having” on climate change. 
• James supported Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, calling it a “bad deal.” 
• James railed against the clean energy plan and claimed it was “pushing the cost of energy sky high.” 
• Bruce Bunker, a prominent climate denier and author of the book ‘The Mythology Of Global Warming: Climate Change Fiction Vs. Scientific Facts,’ gave James a max contribution to his 2020 campaign for Senate. 

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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The clean energy plan has already spurred $127 million in investment and helped create 325 new clean energy jobs in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District. Marlinga supports this legislation and would increase production of solar and wind energy in office, saying the United States needs to move to a renewable energy economy. Meanwhile, John James has spread falsehoods about solar and wind power, electric vehicles, and voted to repeal provisions of the bill that have led to his district’s clean energy boom. 

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• Marlinga would increase production of solar and wind energy in office and incentivize the creation of new technologies to support it. 
• Marlinga supported the clean energy plan and said we “have to move ourselves to a renewable energy economy.” 
• James maligned solar and wind power, falsely claiming people were freezing to death because they couldn’t afford them and calling them inefficient. 
• James falsely claimed that rolling blackouts would hit Michigan because of Democrats’ “infatuation” with “Green New Deal policies.” 
• James cosponsored a bill repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to establish energy conservation standards for manufactured housing. 
• James lamented air pollution while falsely claiming Biden wanted to ban gas stoves, wood burning ovens, and mandate EVs to solve the problem. 
• James spread false claims that Vice President Kamala Harris wants to ban gas cars and kill tens of thousands of Michigan jobs. 
• James voted to repeal multiple provisions of the clean energy plan. 

Water & Air Pollution

If You Say One Thing

While John James claims to care about water and air pollution, his policy positions tell a different story – he wants to keep the United States reliant on dirty fossil fuels. He’s introduced legislation that would undo pollution standards and voted against an Amendment to block oil drilling and exploration in the Great Lakes. Marlinga, in stark contrast, has pledged to protect the Great Lakes from corporate polluters and clean up Michigan’s waters. 

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• Marlinga has pledged to strengthen the EPA and clean up Michigan’s waters while in Congress.
• Marlinga has committed to protecting our Great Lakes and waterways from corporate polluters.
• In 2023, James voted against an amendment to block oil drilling and exploration in the Great Lakes. 
• In 2023, James voted for legislation that undermined longstanding, popular environmental laws that are effective and critical for protecting our air and water.
• In the same breath, James lamented China’s “oppressive” smog and pollution, saying it was unbearable, and stated his support for an “all-of-the-above” energy policy for the future.  
• In July 2018, James was critical of the EPA, the federal agency doing the most to combat PFAS contamination, claiming the agency represented “massive government bureaucratic overreach.”
• In 2024, James introduced a resolution that would undo the Environmental Protection Agency’s tailpipe pollution standards for passenger cars and trucks.  
• In 2024, James cosponsored a resolution disapproving the Environmental Protection Agency’s updated pollution standards for power plants. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

If You Say One Thing

Carl Marlinga criticized oil and gas companies for “gouging” customers and said “maybe it’s time we did some investigation and close them down,” while also committing to not accepting any money from the oil and gas industry. John James meanwhile, has been a major ally to Big Oil in office. James wants to keep the United States reliant on dirty fossil fuels has voted for legislation that benefits oil and gas polluters; meanwhile, his campaigns have been deeply financed by Big Oil, receiving over $550,000 from the industry over his career and over $1 million dollars in support from PACs closely aligned with Big Oil. 

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• Marlinga has committed to not accepting any money from oil companies. 
• Marlinga criticized oil and gas companies for “gouging” consumers and said “maybe it’s time we did some investigation and close them down.”
• James wanted to build up American energy production, including pipelines like Line 5. 
• In 2023, James voted for legislation that included numerous provisions designed solely to benefit polluters in the oil, gas, chemical, and mining sectors. 
• James’ campaigns have been deeply financed by Big Oil – he’s taken over $550,000 from the oil and gas industry over his career, including $65,745 in 2018, $318,983 in 2020, $81,219 in 2022, and $86,741 in 2024. 
• Big Oil’s largest names support James – the Koch brothers, who own one of the largest oil manufacturers in the world and the company responsible for the petroleum pile up in the Detroit River in 2013, have spent over $1 million dollars supporting James’ political campaigns through Americans for Prosperity PAC.