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Michigan businessman Perry Johnson says he is being urged to run for US Senate
Current presidential candidate Perry Johnson says he's heard various pleas for him to shift gears and focus on retiring US Senator Debbie Stabenow's seat.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Michigan millionaire Perry Johnson who is facing an uphill battle for the GOP nomination for president, is now being urged to drop out and get into the Michigan U.S. Senate race.
If it weren't for bad luck, you might say Johnson has had no luck at all.
First, he wanted to be governor in a crowded field of others who wanted the same thing, but because of some shady petition signatures that were not his fault, he was denied a place on the statewide ballot.
Then, when he decided to run for president, not once but twice he was denied a podium on the big debate stage with the other GOP candidates for failure to meet the requirements of his own party.
With Democrat Debbie Stabenow leaving the US Senate next year, Johnson says he is being asked to scrape his long shot presidential bid. Some are advising him to throw his hat into the ring for a more plausible shot at the Senate.
On the phone over the weekend, Johnson said: "I don't know if I've given up on the presidential race (and) do I want to be a US senator?"
He's not sure of that either. He notes that the Senate is a different way of life for him - and that he has been his own boss for 30 years running some 80 different companies.
It should also be noted, he would not be the boss in the US Senate, as a junior senator there.
Related: GOP, Dems strategize to run for Stabenow's Senate seat; may face pressure to retire early
Johnson says he's decided what to do in the next two weeks, which could also include a decision to run for governor to replace the current one in 2026.
If he were to run for Senate he wouldn't be able to run for governor in the next cycle - so as always when it comes to Perry Johnson - stay tuned.