If John James thought President Trump’s endorsement of his run to be Michigan’s next governor – or Mike Cox dropping out – would clear the Republican primary field, he may want to check conservative social media.

Instead of James coasting toward the nomination, the MAGA crowd is digging in their heels, with a large swath of them saying they won’t be voting for James in the primary. This is evident in Facebook groups like “Make Michigan Red Again” and even on James’ social media accounts such as “JohnJamesWarRoom” or “Mission Michigan” where the comment sections are often filled with criticism, mockery and jokes at his expense.

The latest blow came from the Michigan College Republicans, who announced in a press release they were switching their endorsement from Cox to Johnson, calling him “the grassroots candidate” and praising his outreach to young conservatives. They pointed out that Johnson treats conservative students as equals and cited that Perry’s plan to eliminate the state income tax means their generation will be able to keep more of the money they earn. They concluded that Perry has the vision to lead the state to a victory in November.

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When Cox dropped out of the race, he said internal polling showed that after Trump’s endorsement of James, he no longer saw a viable path to victory in a three-way contest. He then endorsed James. Apparently facing criticism over that decision, Cox recently doubled down on his explanation and even released the internal polling data to back up his decision.

But Cox’s explanations and endorsement of James doesn’t appear to be moving the needle forward for James. According to a poll done by independent journalist Dave Bondy that he did on X on July 17 with 1,656 votes in, he asked “If the Republican primary was held today, who would you vote for?” The results: 51.6% said Perry Johnson, 35% said John James. 13.3 said they aren’t voting. That’s about the only polling I have seen between the two candidates since Cox dropped out.

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Much of the social media chatter concerning James centers on complaints ranging from his past positions including lingering frustration over the so-called “kill switch” controversy, with some conservatives insisting they won’t vote for him at all, even in a general election.

Matt and Meshawn Maddock, who are among the best-known conservative political figures in Michigan and have been prominent supporters of President Donald Trump and influential within the Michigan Republican Party, have thrown their support behind Perry.

Other anecdotal comments against voting for John James are appearing on social media.

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On the other side of things, Anna Hoffman, a Michigan-based conservative political commentator and independent journalist with a significant social media following, is openly promoting James. But others are talking about crossing over to vote in the Democratic primary instead of participating in the Republican contest.

Trump is heading to Michigan on Monday for a rally to support the state’s Republican candidates, and the timing is hard to ignore. It sure looks like a political rescue mission for Rep. John James, whose gubernatorial campaign has hit a rough patch. With Perry Johnson gaining grassroots support and social media chatter from MAGA voters growing louder by the day, the White House may have decided James could use a little presidential reinforcement. For a candidate (James) who expected the field to get easier, the Perry problem may have just gotten a little bigger now that there are only two candidates left standing.