DETROIT (AP) — Between redistricting and incumbents forgoing reelection, four congressional seats in Michigan were key targets as the parties vied for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats and Republicans each claimed two of the races — some of the most competitive in the country — with millions of dollars poured into the campaigns.
Incumbents easily won Michigan’s other congressional races. They include Republicans Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg and Lisa McClain; and Democrats Debbie Dingell, Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib and Shri Thanedar.
Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet won her bid for Michigan’s 8th congressional district, securing a victory for Democrats as they attempt to defend control of two open seats in central Michigan.
The freshman state senator prevailed against Republican Paul Junge in a competitive race for the seat in central and east Michigan, including the Flint area. She’ll succeed U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a longtime Democrat who decided against seeking another term.
McDonald Rivet credited her victory to a “broad and energized coalition.”
“I am humbled by the trust voters have put in me, and honored to represent mid-Michigan in the U.S. House,” she said in a statement Wednesday.
Junge served in the Trump administration as an immigration official. Republicans had hoped to flip the seat in their effort to retain control of the U.S. House and saw an opening with Kildee’s retirement. Kildee succeeded his uncle Dale Kildee who represented Michigan in Congress for 36 years.
The tossup race was expected to be one of the closest in the country. Both campaigned on the economy and criticized the other’s career.
Republican Tom Barrett won his bid for Michigan’s 7th congressional district, flipping the open seat in central Michigan away from Democrats. Barrett prevailed against Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. in a competitive race for the seat that includes the state capital, Lansing.
Barrett is a former state representative and senator. He ran for the same seat in the 2022 midterms but lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who vacated it to run for U.S. Senate.
Hertel is a former state senator who more recently served as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s legislative director.
Their race was expected to be one of the closest in the country. The candidates criticized each other over national issues such as reproductive rights and national security. Barrett tried to appeal to crossover voters with messaging on inflation, the economy and security at the southern border.
Hertel conceded to Barrett in a statement at 3 a.m. by wishing the Republican well and thanking his own supporters.
“To every single volunteer, supporter, and member of Team Hertel who helped our campaign — from building yard signs, to donating a few bucks, to knocking doors and making calls — I will forever be grateful, and I am sorry this election did not turn out differently," the statement said.
Democratic freshman U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten has secured her second term representing Michigan in Congress.
In 2022, Scholten became the first Democrat to represent the city of Grand Rapids in the U.S. House since the 1970s after the district was redrawn.
“I set out to build a new political home in West Michigan, and with this decisive victory, we’ve proven that what we made is built to last,” Scholten said in a statement posted to X.
However, the district in western Michigan is still seen as a Republican stronghold, especially in the populous Kent County. The Republicans targeted the county with multiple visits as former President Donald Trump campaigned to return to the White House.
The county went for Trump in 2016 and President Joe Biden in 2020.
Republican Rep. John James has successfully defended his House seat in the suburbs of Detroit, fending off a challenge from a Democrat he has faced before and securing his second term in Congress.
“Michigan never quits. And neither will I,” James said in a post to X.
Voters delivered for the incumbent in his rematch against Democrat Carl Malinga in eastern Michigan’s 10th congressional district, which includes the all important suburbs of Macomb County north of Detroit.
Marlinga is a former prosecutor and judge who lost by just 1,600 votes in 2022. The thin margin caught the attention and pocketbooks of national Democratic spenders and promised a competitive second round.