Who's In the Race

Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) faces Republican Thomas J. Smith in the Nov. 3 general election in Michigan's 8th District. ​

McDonald Rivet served in the Michigan State Senate before winning her House seat, and her official biography highlights her work on a tax cut for working families in Michigan. The Democratic primary was certified after McDonald Rivet ran unopposed on Aug. 4.

Smith is a retired General Motors engineer who describes himself as a small-business owner; his campaign frames its approach as "Conservative leadership guided by the Constitution, Faith, and Freedom." Smith won the Aug. 4 Republican primary with 31,149 votes.

What They Stand For

McDonald Rivet has called for using federal purchasing power to negotiate lower prescription-drug prices and expand access to affordable generic medicines, according to MLive. She's also supported:

  • Protecting access to health care as families face rising insurance costs, according to her official House website;
  • Lower costs, more opportunity, and a fair shot for working families, per her campaign website; and
  • Issue areas including the economy, education, energy, and health, per her official House website.

Smith has described his campaign's guiding principles as the Constitution, faith, and freedom, according to his campaign website; no further specific policy positions were available from accessible sources at the time of publication.

The Money Behind the Race

Through July 15, McDonald Rivet had raised about $5.6 million and had about $4.3 million in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission filings; through Aug. 24, Smith had raised about $243,000 and had about $220,000 on hand. Outside groups have spent about $13,844 supporting McDonald Rivet, with WelcomePAC the largest contributor at about $13,397.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rates the race "Likely Democratic" as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it "Likely Democratic" as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rates it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is McDonald Rivet, a 99.16 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 14.

Democrats have won Michigan's 8th District in each of the last two cycles: McDonald Rivet took the seat in 2024 with about 51 percent of the vote, and Daniel T. Kildee held it in 2022 with about 53 percent.

Michigan's 13-seat House delegation has been closely divided, with Democrats winning seven seats and Republicans six in 2022, then flipping to Republicans winning seven and Democrats six in 2024. Donald Trump carried Michigan in the 2024 presidential election with about 50 percent of the vote.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article