Perry Johnson

Running for Governor in Michigan

Downloadable Report Card

Would Cut Health Care for Michiganders
Backed Trump's Tariffs That Are Making Everything More Expensive
Supports Taking Food from Michigan Families
Wants to Bring DOGE's Chaos and Stupidity to Michigan
Has Extreme Anti-Abortion Views
Spread 2020 Election Lies and Backed an Election Denier
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Would Cut Health Care for Michiganders

Every Michigander deserves access to quality, affordable health care. Perry Johnson has worked to take it away.

In 2025, Perry Johnson called Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" a "big win for Michigan" — a bill estimated to strip health insurance from at least 17 million Americans. Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee put Michigan's own losses at 397,000 people across the state's 13 congressional districts by 2034 — 259,859 of them losing Medicaid. At least three Michigan hospitals were put at risk of closing or cutting services.
The bill Johnson backed also did nothing to stop the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits at the end of 2025. A year later, about 40,000 fewer Michiganders signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage.
Johnson has said Social Security and Medicare cannot continue as they are. On his presidential campaign site he wrote that both programs are "spending vast sums more than will ever come in" and pointed to Americans living longer as the reason the system "can't continue as is." And the bill he backed would, by CBO's estimate, add so much to the national debt that it could force nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts beginning in 2026.

Perry Johnson supported ripping health care away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders. We deserve better.

District-Level Impacts of Health Care Cuts (Michigan: 397,559 losing coverage, 259,859 of them Medicaid) — Joint Economic Committee, House Minority, September 2025

Backed Trump's Tariffs That Are Making Everything More Expensive

Trump's tariffs are raising food prices and hurting Michigan's small businesses and farmers. Perry Johnson supported them even after the Supreme Court ruled they were unlawful.

In 2025 and 2026, Perry Johnson backed Trump's tariffs, calling them "necessary" on WXYZ and applauding Trump's tariff agenda on OANN — even as tariffs drove the biggest monthly jump in grocery prices since 2022, squeezed Michigan small businesses, and helped cut Michigan farm exports — wheat down 89% and cherries down 62% in the first half of 2025.
Pressed on the costs, Johnson contradicted himself on whether tariffs were raising prices and said he didn't know whether they were hurting small businesses.
In February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority with his global tariffs — by which point Michigan businesses had already paid an estimated $3.8 billion in tariffs, with no guarantee of refunds. Five months later, days before the primary, Johnson was still waving it off: "It is a one-time hit that you have on the tariffs that gets adjusted."

Perry Johnson chose Trump's tariffs over Michigan families and businesses — even after they were found to be unlawful. We deserve better.

Supports Taking Food from Michigan Families

Hundreds of thousands of Michigan households rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families. Perry Johnson supported cutting that help — and celebrated it.

In 2025, Perry Johnson called Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" a "big win for Michigan" — a bill that cut federal SNAP funding by $187 billion through 2034, the largest cut to SNAP in history. About 547,000 Michigan households receive SNAP.
In February 2026, Johnson thanked Trump for "lifting families off food stamps" — calling the removal of food assistance a success.

Perry Johnson celebrated cutting food assistance for Michigan families. We deserve better.

Wants to Bring DOGE's Chaos and Stupidity to Michigan

Michigan is home to about 76,000 federal workers and 2.3 million Social Security beneficiaries. Perry Johnson wants to bring the DOGE playbook to all of it.

In March 2025, Johnson cheered Elon Musk and DOGE on — "Let's slash the federal budget! Keep it coming!" — even as DOGE-driven staffing cuts were driving up Social Security wait times for the seniors who depend on the agency.
A year later, pointing to DOGE as his model for running Michigan, Johnson told MLive: "I'm the perfect DOGE guy." He wants to eliminate Michigan's income tax — nearly 30% of state revenue, more than $13 billion a year — and says an efficiency audit will cover the gap. Asked how, he told Michigan Public: "I propose we audit everything."
Michigan has already seen what the DOGE approach costs. According to DOGE's own website, the state's health department lost more than $390 million in discontinued federal health grants in a single week in March 2025.

Perry Johnson wants to bring the DOGE playbook to Michigan. We deserve better.

Has Extreme Anti-Abortion Views

Michigan voters chose to protect abortion rights in the state constitution. Perry Johnson has built his political identity on opposing them.

At a 2022 GOP debate, Johnson said "life begins at conception and unless the mother's life is at risk, I cannot accept abortion." Asked about exceptions for rape and incest at his campaign kickoff, he said: "Two wrongs don't make a right. I am pro-life."
In 2023, when Trump called Florida's six-week abortion ban "too harsh," Johnson urged him "to reconsider his position," pledging "I will never compromise my views". He describes himself as a proud pro-life husband and father, and his campaign has said he "understands that the right to life comes from God—not government."
Running for president in August 2023, Johnson called abortion a matter of states' rights — but told a New Hampshire audience he would sign a national abortion ban if Congress sent him one: "If they had something and the country said, 'This is what we want.' Yeah, I'd sign that bill."

Perry Johnson threatened the reproductive freedoms of Michiganders. We deserve better.

Spread 2020 Election Lies and Backed an Election Denier

Perry Johnson promoted false claims about the 2020 election and backed a candidate who tried to overturn it.

At a 2022 debate, Johnson claimed there was "incredible fraud" in the 2020 presidential election. Post-election audits, bipartisan canvassing boards, court decisions and a Republican-led state Senate investigation had all already dismissed claims of widespread fraud in Michigan.
He also endorsed Matthew DePerno for attorney general — a candidate who, Reuters found, led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment while hunting for evidence to support Trump's false election-fraud claims.

Perry Johnson spread election lies and backed those who tried to overturn a free and fair election. We deserve better.

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