Upstart Republican John James fell short in his bid to unseat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in Tuesday's midterm elections.
James pulled to within roughly 8 points in the final RealClear Politics polling average heading into Tuesday's vote, and he garnered endorsements from several top Republicans — including President Donald Trump.
Multiple media outlets, however, called the race in Stabenow's favor.
James' campaign released audio of a voicemail left on one of its phones this week from a local Michigan reporter who unleashed a brief but vulgar rant against Jones after she mistakenly left the line open. The reporter was fired a short time after the audio was made public.