Democrat Diane Young launches U.S. House campaign against GOP's James

Financial planner and Democrat Diane Young on Monday jumped into the 2024 congressional race in Michigan's 10th District, aiming to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Rep. John James.

The contest in the 10th District, which covers southern Macomb County, Rochester and Rochester Hills, has the potential to be an expensive one thanks to James of Farmington Hills ― a powerhouse fundraiser and rising GOP star who won election last year by just 1,600 votes, or half a percentage point.

Young's campaign launch came as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Monday announced that Michigan's 10th District is among the 33 GOP-held or open seats it intends to target in 2024, casting James as vulnerable in his bid for a second term.

The DCCC's Michigan battlegrounds include the 7th District in mid-Michigan ― a highly competitive seat that will be up for grabs next year as three-term U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Lansing pursues a bid for U.S. Senate.

In an interview, Young, 58, of Warren indicated that she'll make kitchen table issues such as protecting Social Security and Medicare for retirees central to her U.S. House campaign, as well as ensuring reproductive care for women "without government interference."

"I'm running because I'm really worried that Michigan families especially don't have the same opportunities that I had. I see it firsthand with my clients every day: The system is really stacked against them," Young said.

"Republicans like John James are making it worse by putting corporate interests ahead of working people, and then they make them feel bad for not being able to save enough money for retirement. I want to make sure that every family has a fair shot."

James spokeswoman Abby Mitch said his record for the 10th District "speaks for itself."

“Within his first 100 days in office, Congressman James has led the charge pushing for more missions for Selfridge, protected seniors’ incomes, voted to lower gas prices and blocked 87,000 IRS agents from targeting the middle class," Mitch said.

Young said she grew up in Romeo, the daughter of a union carpenter and a secretary, and worked at Lakeside Mall, cleaning houses and other odd jobs to put herself through college. She met her husband, Randy, at Oakland University, and they moved to New York for his career, where she was recruited into the financial services industry, she said.

They later moved back to Michigan to raise their two children and where Young opened a financial planning firm in downtown Rochester, starting out with a just folding table and a phonebook, she said. The firm has since moved to Rochester Hills.

Young has run for public office before, losing a state House race to then state Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, in 2016, 28% to 72%. She has lived in Warren since 2017, she said.

Young said she has ties to both parts of the district ― both the Rochester area where she used to live and southern Macomb County. She also took a swipe at James for living outside the district in Farmington Hills; however, James bought a home in Shelby Township in December and intends to move there with his young family this summer.

"I have very deep roots in this community, unlike our current congressman," Young said. "I've lived in this district, I paid real estate taxes in this district, I sent my kids to public schools in this district, my businesses in this district. He, as of this morning, still can't vote for himself, and he's still not registered to vote in his own district."

Young explained she's launching her campaign now because she expects the campaign will be a fundraising battle, noting James outspent his opponent last year, former Macomb County judge and prosecutor Carl Marlinga, five fold.

Marlinga won a five-way Democratic primary in August with 48% of the vote, and Young said she anticipates another Democratic primary in the district.

Notably, former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, a Bloomfield Township Democrat who lost a primary battle next door in the 11th District last year, hasn't ruled out another run for Congress. Democrat Brian Jaye, who previously ran against Republican U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, said he's also running.

Young spokeswoman Wellesley Daniels said that Young has had preliminary conversations with the DCCC. Last year, no national party committees spent money to help the underfunded Marlinga in his race against James ― something veteran Democrats from Macomb County later criticized given the narrow margin of victory.

The DCCC on Monday indicated it now sees the 10th District as key to Democrats' retaking the House next year. The committee's Tommy Garcia called James a "MAGA sympathizer ... focused on empowering far-right extremists, partisan investigations, pushing out-of-touch legislation, rolling back reproductive freedom, and protecting wealthy corporations than working for everyday Michiganders."

The National Republican Congressional Committee's Chris Gustafson said that James won his seat by focusing on the issues that matter to Michiganians.

"Meanwhile, extreme House Democrats are hammering families with crime, chaos and skyrocketing costs," Gustafson said. "Michigan voters won’t change their minds given Democrats have spent their time in the minority coddling violent criminals and opposing relief."

Based on the 2020 election results, former President Donald Trump would have won the 10th District by 1 percentage point. But Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township also would have narrowly won it over James when he ran for Senate that same year by less than a point.

The NRCC last month announced it plans to target three Democratic-held Michigan swing districts for U.S. House in 2024, including the open 7th District seat held by Slotkin.

The NRCC said the seats held by U.S. Reps. Dan Kildee of Flint Township in the 8th District and Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids in the 3rd District are also among the 37 seats it aims to flip next year.

Former state Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, has indicated he plans to run for the Lansing-based 7th District seat again after losing to Slotkin by five percentage points last fall, her largest margin of victory yet in her three congressional campaigns.

mburke@detroitnews.com