State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) has won the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, considered a key race for control of the U.S. House.
The Associated Press called the race for McDonald Rivet around 12:50 a.m. Wednesday, as she led Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former Flint Mayor Matt Collier with about 55% of the vote with 46% of votes counted.
Collier earned 29% and Pugh took 16%.
With sitting U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) announcing in November that he would not seek reelection, both parties are pushing hard to ensure their control of the district.
In the Republican primary, the race also featured three candidates: former President Donald Trump immigration official Paul Junge, former Dow Executive Mary Draves and truck driver Anthony Hudson. The Associated Press had called the race for Junge, as the Advance previously reported.
Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is rated as a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, with the National Republican Congressional Committee listing the district as one of its targets for 2024 in a bid to grow Republican’s majority in the U.S. House.
Prior to winning a term in the Michigan Senate in 2022, McDonald Rivet served as the executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association, vice president of Michigan Future Inc., president and CEO of Greater Midland, Inc. as well as chief of staff for the Michigan Department of Education among other positions. She has also received endorsement from Kildee, alongside U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In a previous interview with the Advance, McDonald Rivet pointed to lowering costs for families and building strong pathways for children as her day one priorities if elected. She also said the U.S. needs to modernize its immigration system, stop illegal border crossings and create a legal pathway for those seeking a life in the U.S.
Pugh has served on the Michigan State Board of Education since 2015. She also has a background in public health, having served as the chief public health advisor for the Flint water crisis, on former Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Task Force, o Granholm’s State Environmental Justice Workgroup, health chair of the Michigan Conference of the NAACP and with the Saginaw County Health Department to reduce elevated blood lead levels in children.
Collier is the former mayor of Flint serving from 1987 to 1991. A former airborne-ranger in the U.S. Army, Collier also served in President Barack Obama’s administration as the senior advisor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Flanked by Kildee, McDonald Rivet addressed her supporters around 11 p.m. Tuesday, after the Republican primary was called.
“I know it’s late, and I really appreciate your patience, so let’s just cut to the chase: As the votes continue to be counted, we do not yet have a call. But I need to tell you, as they’re coming in, we are really encouraged and optimistic about the results thus far.”
McDonald Rivet stressed that her campaign was feeling optimistic, but noted they would need to get to work once the primary is officially over.
“I need to say to you all; we deserve so much better than a rich guy turned MAGA extremist trying to buy your vote. It looks like we’re running against Paul Junge, who is trying for the third time to buy a U.S. House seat,” McDonald Rivet said, referencing Junge’s two previous unsuccessful congressional campaigns.
Junge previously ran against Kildee in 2022 and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in 2020.
“I am ready to take the campaign to Paul, because I am a lifelong Michigander. I raised my kids here, some of them are in the room, and I have a record of delivering for the hard working families of this district,” McDonald Rivet said.
After the race was called, Kildee made a post to X echoing McDonald Rivet’s criticisms of Junge.
“Kristen is a lifelong Michigander who raised her six kids in our community. Her GOP opponent is a trust fund millionaire from California trying to buy a seat in Congress,” he said.
Collier also released a statement in support of McDonald Rivet.
“I want to take this moment to thank Dr. Pam Pugh for a strong campaign, and congratulate both my opponents on a race well run. I would like to formally endorse Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet for congress in Michigan’s 8th district, and I look forward to working with her and Democrats up and down the ballot to defeat Paul Junge and keep MI-08 blue in November.”
