Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

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Michigan's 8th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 23, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Michigan
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up DDHQ and The Hill: Toss-up Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Michigan's 8th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th Michigan elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) defeated Paul Junge (R) and four other candidates in the general election for Michigan's 8th Congressional District on November 5, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

Incumbent Dan Kildee (D) retired from public office. Before the election, Michigan Public Radio's Steve Carmody wrote Kildee's decision to retire "marked the end of decades of Kildee family control of the mid-Michigan congressional seat, and possibly along with it, a half century of Democratic control of the seat representing Flint."

McDonald Rivet was a state senator who was first elected in 2022. In an interview with WCMU Public Radio, McDonald Rivet said her priorities were "lowering prescription drug costs, addressing the cost of housing, addressing the cost of childcare and also protecting our women's abortion care rights and protecting our privacy and healthcare." She said many of these priorities were the same as the ones she had in the state Senate, where she said she had a "reputation as someone who gets real, practical work done." McDonald Rivet said that she would be willing to "work with anyone who wants to work with me" in Congress.

Junge was a former prosecutor and TV news anchor who worked in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration. He previously ran for Congress against Kildee in 2022, losing 53.1% to 42.8%, and against Elissa Slotkin (D) in a previous iteration of the 8th district in 2020, losing 50.9% to 47.3%. Junge campaigned on improving the economy and said "stopping the rising cost of goods and improving the economy for working families is a top priority to my campaign.” Junge also campaignined on reducing immigration and said he would work "to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and poisonous synthetic opioids across our southern border, which are devastating forgotten communities across our state and across our country."

Bridge Michigan's Simon Schuster wrote that the district had "grown more conservative since new district lines took effect in 2022, and it will be a tougher lift for Democrats without the benefit of incumbency." Junge said that he thought voters were "ready for a different voice representing them in Washington ― a conservative voice," and that he was "very comfortable making the case that I’m going to make, [and] be a conservative voice.” Midland County Democratic Party chair Jennifer Austin said the district was still winnable for Democrats because she said that Trump had motivated "some people who are more centrist to try to get a more reasonable candidate, a reasonable policy, a reasonable take at how we look at politics."

Based on third-quarter reports filed with the Federal Election Commission before the election, McDonald Rivet raised $5.3 million and spent $4.1 million, and Junge raised $5.1 million and spent $4.8 million. To review all the campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.

As of October 30, 2024, four independent election forecasters each rated the general election a toss-up.

Steve Barcelo (L), Jim Casha (G), Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party), and James Little (U.S. Taxpayers Party) also ran in the general election.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies. As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215. To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 53.1%-42.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 50.3%-48.2%.

This is one of 45 open races for the U.S. House in 2024 where an incumbent did not run for re-election. Across the country, 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans did not run for re-election. In 2022, 49 representatives did not seek re-election, including 31 Democrats and 18 Republicans.

Michigan's 8th Congressional District was one of 37 congressional districts with a Democratic incumbent or an open seat that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) targeted in 2024. To read about NRCC targeting initiatives, click here. For a complete list of NRCC targeted districts, click here.

This was one of 13 districts won by Donald Trump (R) in the 2024 presidential election and by a Democratic candidate in the U.S. House election. To read more, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Democratic primary)
• Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristen McDonald Rivet (D)	51.3	217,490
		Paul Junge (R)	44.6	189,317
		Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)	2.0	8,492
		Steve Barcelo (L)	1.1	4,768
	Submit photo	James Little (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.6	2,681
		Jim Casha (G)	0.4	1,602

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 424,350
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Kristen McDonald Rivet defeated Matt Collier and Pamela Pugh in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristen McDonald Rivet	53.3	43,393
		Matt Collier	26.4	21,482
		Pamela Pugh	20.3	16,525

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,400
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dan Kildee (D)
• Daniel Moilanen (D)
• Sheldon Neeley (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Paul Junge defeated Mary Draves and Anthony Hudson in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Junge	74.8	43,204
		Mary Draves	15.0	8,688
		Anthony Hudson	10.1	5,851

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57,743
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nikki Snyder (R)
• Martin Blank (R)

Green convention

Green convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Jim Casha advanced from the Green convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Jim Casha (G)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Steve Barcelo advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Steve Barcelo (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

James Little advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	James Little (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Kathy Goodwin advanced from the Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on June 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 21, 2024
• Online: Oct. 21, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
• By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2024
• Online: Nov. 1, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 26, 2024 to Nov. 3, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST/CST)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Kristen McDonald Rivet

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Michigan State Senate - District 35 (Assumed office: 2023)
• Bay City Commissioner (2019-2023)

Biography:  McDonald Rivet received a bachelor's degree in history from the Michigan State University and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Michigan. She previously worked as executive director of Michigan Head Start Association, a senior policy advisor for Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), chief of staff for Michigan’s Department of Education, and vice president of Michigan Future.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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McDonald said that lowering costs was a central focus of her campaign and that she ran to "make things just a little bit easier for working families...by lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, and pushing back on extremists."

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On immigration, McDonald Rivet said she supported "smart investments in border security, cracking down on cartels and drug traffickers and modernizing the system to provide humane, legal, and fair pathways for immigrants...as well as providing a pathway to citizenship."

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McDonald Rivet supported keeping abortion legal, and in Congress, she said she would "stand up to the extremists who are trying to pass a national abortion ban, and we will pass a federal law reinstating Roe v. Wade as the law of the land."

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Show sources

Sources: MLive, "Meet the candidates to replace Dan Kildee in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District," July 29, 2024; Midland Daily News, "Meet the Democratic candidates running for Michigan's 8th Congressional District," July 3, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 8 in 2024.

Paul Junge

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Junge received a bachelor's degree in political economy from the University of California, Berkley, a master's degree in business from the University of Michigan, and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He previously worked for a business maintaining military housing, as a prosecutor, and as a television news anchor. He also worked for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Junge focused on the improving economy and said, "Stopping the rising cost of goods and improving the economy for working families is a top priority to my campaign."

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Junge said he wanted to reduce illegal immigration and would "fight to secure the border, build the wall, stop the deadly flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl, ...and crack down on the tragedy of human trafficking."

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Junge's website said he supported an approach to energy that "encourages private sector innovation toward renewable energy sources rather than government mandates."

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Show sources

Sources: Midland Daily News, "Meet the Republican candidates running for Michigan's 8th Congressional District," July 3, 2024; Paul Junge 2024 campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 29, 2024; LinkedIn, "Paul J.," accessed August 29, 2024, Midland Daily News, "Meet the Republican candidates running for Michigan's 8th Congressional District," July 3, 2024; The Detroit News, "Junge, McDonald Rivet win primaries in race to replace Kildee in Congress," August 6, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 8 in 2024.

James Little

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

Party: U.S. Taxpayers Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a 58 year resident of Flint Michigan. I am anti abortion and a follower of Jesus and biblical principles. I believe in the right to keep and bare arms and the right to free speech as stated in the first and second ammendment. I am 100% Trump and MAGA. I believe the tyrant politicians in America must be removed in every city and state in this great nation. I cannot be bought bribed or threatened into going against my values at any price. I am running not to rule but to serve period. I believe in government by for and of the people. I am a survivor of the Flint water poisoning and my wife is battling cancer because of it. I am a regular law abiding citizen that is downright sick and tired of this ruling class of politicians that seek to destroy the United States by allowing over 20 million illegals to enter America many of which are terrorist. I will fight tooth and nail with Donald J Trump on every promise he has made to the citizens of this once great nation to make it greater by far than it has ever been including a mega auto factory he has promised for Flint Detroit and other cities in Michigan."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Take back our nation making America greater than ever before.

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Deport all illegals and clean up neighborhoods across America.

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Arrest all that have committed treason and crimes against American citizens. Get rid of big government giving massive tax breaks to the middle class and the poor. Also tax breaks for rich pro MAGA Americans so they can help create an America where everyone gets a fair chance to thrive and not just barely exist.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 8 in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Take back our nation making America greater than ever before.

Deport all illegals and clean up neighborhoods across America.

Arrest all that have committed treason and crimes against American citizens. Get rid of big government giving massive tax breaks to the middle class and the poor. Also tax breaks for rich pro MAGA Americans so they can help create an America where everyone gets a fair chance to thrive and not just barely exist.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Freedom and fairness for all. No indoctrinating children in our schools and stopping the government from going after law abiding citizens and parents for fighting back against them

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Jesus Christ because Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

The constitution and the bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

To serve the people not self interest. Honesty and integrity and the principles taught in the Bible. Never take money from any entity that seeks to serve its own interest and not that of the people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Honesty integrity and love for God and country.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

To serve, not to rule and to seek advise from those that love America and want to do what is best for all citizens creating a nation that will thrive giving opportunity to every American to do so.

What is your favorite book? Why?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

The Bible because it's the word of the living God and teaches how we all need to be living.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

As it sits right now the tyrants all need to removed and we need to start from scratch keeping only those that are pro America and don't do deals against the citizens for personal gain behind closed doors.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Not with the clowns that have been placed in office instead of being elected. It takes business sense and common sense, not fake political sense.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Bring back manufacturing and building the most powerful military the world has ever seen.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Yes!

What are your thoughts on term limits?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Two years straight across the board.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

I want to model myself after Donald J Trump.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

The stories of those that have been impacted by the poisoning of our water here in Flint are many and they are heartbreaking, I have heard many but the most impacting are those that have family members that have died due to the poison water here in Flint.

Tell us your favorite joke.

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Kamala Harris as president!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

No compromising on the future of our nation and our children period!

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

I would do my best to not allow pork filled bills that force us to except a load of crap just to get a bill passed.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

By not using them against law abiding citizens that do not agree with they're policies.

What committees interest you?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Only those that support Trump and MAGA.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

James Little (U.S. Taxpayers)

Every dollar spent should be given in a report every time it is spent and any politician that spends our tax dollars to support un-American self serving agandas should immediately be removed and never allowed in office again.

Campaign ads

Kristen McDonald Rivet

View more ads here:

• Facebook

Paul Junge

Jul 31, 2024

Jul 31, 2024

Aug 7, 2024

View more ads here:

• Youtube

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.

• FiveThirtyEight

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Democratic	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

• Kristen McDonald Rivet

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Matt Collier	Democratic Party	$1,212,680	$1,212,680	$0	As of December 22, 2024
Pamela Pugh	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Kristen McDonald Rivet	Democratic Party	$6,067,032	$6,050,001	$17,031	As of December 31, 2024
Mary Draves	Republican Party	$629,825	$629,151	$674	As of December 31, 2024
Anthony Hudson	Republican Party	$141,048	$107,774	$31,131	As of December 31, 2024
Paul Junge	Republican Party	$5,984,459	$5,636,809	$439,931	As of December 31, 2024
Jim Casha	Green Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Steve Barcelo	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
James Little	U.S. Taxpayers Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Kathy Goodwin	Working Class Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Sattelite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Kristen McDonald Rivetl Paul Junge	OpenSecrets Federal Election Commission

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Michigan.

Michigan U.S. Senate competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	1	1	1	6	2	1	1	100.0%	0	N/A
2020	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	N/A
2018	1	1	0	3	2	0	1	50.0%	0	N/A
2014	1	1	1	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	N/A

U.S. House

Michigan U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	13	13	2	43	26	6	6	46.2%	5	45.5%
2022	13	13	2	53	26	4	9	50.0%	7	58.3%
2020	14	14	1	55	28	7	8	53.6%	4	33.3%
2018	14	14	2	51	28	9	1	35.7%	1	9.1%
2016	14	14	2	38	28	3	3	21.4%	3	25.0%
2014	14	14	4	48	28	5	8	46.4%	6	60.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Michigan in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 5, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-three candidates ran for Michigan’s 13 U.S. House districts, including 23 Democrats and 20 Republicans. That’s an average of 3.3 candidates per district.

The 43 candidates who ran in Michigan in 2024 was the fewest number of candidates since 2016, when 38 candidates ran.

The 7th and 8th Congressional Districts were open in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 2.2 districts were open per year.

Incumbent Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-07) did not run for re-election because she ran for the U.S. Senate. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-08) retired from public office.

Six candidates—three Democrats and three Republicans—ran for the open 8th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in Michigan in 2024.

Twelve primaries—six Democratic and six Republican—were contested in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 11.4 primaries were contested per year.

Five incumbents—three Democrats and two Republicans—were in contested primaries in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 4.2 incumbents ran in contested primaries.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 13 districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Michigan's 8th the 218th most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Michigan's 8th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
50.3%	48.2%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
52.8	44.2	D+8.6

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Michigan, 2020

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 13 Democratic wins
• 17 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D

See also: Party control of Michigan state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Michigan
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	6	8
Republican	0	7	7
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	13	15

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Michigan's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Michigan, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant Governor	Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of State	Jocelyn Benson
Attorney General	Dana Nessel

State legislature

Michigan State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	20
	Republican Party	18
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	54
	Republican Party	54
	Other	0
	Vacancies	2
Total		110

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2024
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D
House	D	S	S	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D

Election context

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Michigan in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Michigan, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Democratic or Republican	1,000-2,000	N/A	4/23/2024	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	3,000-6,000	N/A	7/18/2024	Source

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.

2022

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Dan Kildee defeated Paul Junge, Kathy Goodwin, and David Canny in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Kildee (D)	53.1	178,322
		Paul Junge (R)	42.8	143,850
		Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)	2.7	9,077
		David Canny (L)	1.4	4,580

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 335,829
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Dan Kildee advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Kildee	100.0	70,791

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,791
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Paul Junge defeated Matthew Seely and Candice Miller in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Junge	53.7	42,363
		Matthew Seely	23.6	18,658
		Candice Miller	22.7	17,879

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,900
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mike Detmer (R)
• Cherie Lott (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

David Canny advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		David Canny (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Kathy Goodwin advanced from the Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on June 26, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin defeated Paul Junge and Joe Hartman in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	50.9	217,922
		Paul Junge (R)	47.3	202,525
		Joe Hartman (L)	1.8	7,897

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 428,344
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	100.0	90,570

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,570
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Paul Junge defeated Mike Detmer, Kristina Lyke, and Alan Hoover in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Junge	35.1	30,525
		Mike Detmer	28.6	24,863
		Kristina Lyke	25.4	22,093
		Alan Hoover	10.9	9,461

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,942
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nikki Snyder (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Joe Hartman advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Joe Hartman (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Elissa Slotkin defeated incumbent Mike Bishop, Brian Ellison, and David Jay Lillis in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	50.6	172,880
		Mike Bishop (R)	46.8	159,782
		Brian Ellison (L)	1.8	6,302
	Submit photo	David Jay Lillis (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.8	2,629

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 341,593 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Elissa Slotkin defeated Chris Smith in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	70.7	57,819
		Chris Smith	29.3	23,996

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,815
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Mike Bishop defeated Lokesh Kumar in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Bishop	92.3	75,403
		Lokesh Kumar	7.7	6,254

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,657
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Brian Ellison advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Ellison	100.0	522

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 522
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

• Connecticut's 5th Congressional District election, 2024
• New York's 26th Congressional District special election, 2024
• State attorney election in Hillsborough County, Florida (2024)

See also

Michigan	2024 primaries	2024 U.S. Congress elections
Michigan congressional delegation Voting in Michigan Michigan elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Gary Peters (D)

Elissa Slotkin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jack Bergman (R)

District 2

John Moolenaar (R)

District 3

Hillary Scholten (D)

District 4

Bill Huizenga (R)

District 5

Tim Walberg (R)

District 6

Debbie Dingell (D)

District 7

Tom Barrett (R)

District 8

Kristen Rivet (D)

District 9

Lisa McClain (R)

District 10

John James (R)

District 11

Haley Stevens (D)

District 12

Rashida Tlaib (D)

District 13

Shri Thanedar (D)

Democratic Party (8)

Republican Party (7)