The Winner

If you live in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) will keep representing you after winning a second term by a much wider margin than her first. The Associated Press called the race for McDonald Rivet at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Nov. 4. ​

McDonald Rivet has 195,849 votes (55.5%) to 147,851 (41.9%) for Republican Thomas J. Smith), a margin of about 14 points, with an estimated 98% of votes counted, according to Associated Press election results. She returns to a House where Democrats will hold the majority.

The Race

McDonald Rivet won the seat in 2024 with 51.3% against Republican Paul Junge, a margin of about 6 points, so her margin more than doubled this year. Smith, a retired General Motors engineer who owns a salsa company, suspended his campaign in July but still won the Aug. 4 Republican primary over Amir Hassan, whom President Trump had endorsed, according to Michigan Public.

Smith took 50.4% in that primary to Hassan’s 33.2% and Al Lemmo’s 16.4%, while McDonald Rivet ran unopposed, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rated the race Likely Democratic. Working Class Party candidate Kathy Goodwin, Libertarian C. Mia Pettus and Green Party candidate Jim Casha split the rest of the vote.

The district includes all of Bay and Saginaw counties, most of Genesee County including Flint, and parts of Midland and Tuscola counties, according to Michigan Public’s election night report. About 770,300 people live there, and residents are 76% white, 14.9% Black, 5.6% Hispanic and 1.2% Asian.

The median household income is $63,200, and the median age is 41. Of adults, 24.9% hold at least a bachelor’s degree, unemployment is 6.8% and 15.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

McDonald Rivet’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. She serves on the House Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, according to her AllCiv committee page, and Democrats will chair both in the new majority.

In her victory speech, McDonald Rivet said Congress must bring down costs for health care, housing, child care, groceries and utilities, and she called for reversing recent Republican policies, including tariffs and Medicaid cuts, Michigan Public reported.

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