John James threads needle on Flock camera backlash in Michigan: ‘Balance is the key’

EXCLUSIVE — Rep. John James (R-MI) defended Flock cameras Wednesday but said their use needs guardrails to protect privacy, telling the Washington Examiner that “balance is the key” as the issue becomes a flashpoint in the 2026 elections.“Our Bill of Rights, our Fourth Amendment, our right to privacy is nonnegotiable,” said James, the Republican nominee for governor in Michigan. “But we also need to make sure that we are working within the Constitution to keep innocent people safe and put bad actors away.”Misuse of the cameras, which have quickly proliferated as tools for state and local law enforcement, has led to a national backlash and raised questions about whether 24/7 monitoring of license plates is constitutional in the first place. Several bills have been proposed in the Michigan statehouse that would limit data retention and who can access it, but some communities are scrapping the cameras altogether. Across the country, a growing number of candidates for governor have followed suit or promised to do so.In Pennsylvania, both Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and his Republican opponent support a ban on Flock cameras, while Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) blocked state agencies from spending money on them last week.James’s view puts him closer to Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, and his Democratic challenger. Both have expressed concern over the potential for abuse without calling for a ban.“Again, the Bill of Rights and our right to privacy is nonnegotiable, and I’ll be doing everything that I can to protect the privacy of Michiganders and also enforce the law,” James said on Wednesday, fielding the question in a press call organized to express support for the education freedom tax credit.JOSH SHAPIRO CHALLENGER SUPPORTS BAN ON FLOCK CAMERAS IN PENNSYLVANIA: ‘INVASION OF PRIVACY’Flock cameras join data centers as a hot-button issue in the midterm elections and represent one of the few areas of bipartisan common ground in Lansing and Washington. Both James and his Democratic competitor, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, support a temporary moratorium on data center construction.A spokesperson for Benson did not respond to a request for comment.