Hillary Scholten wins reelection; some Michigan congressional races still tight

• Hillary Scholten, several other Michigan incumbents win US House races
• Vote counts ongoing in tight districts representing Macomb County, Flint and Lansing
• A handful of races could have the power to the balance of power in Congress

LANSING —Democratic US Rep. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids appeared to successfully defend her 3rd Congressional District seat in west Michigan on Tuesday, joining several other incumbents who won reelection. 

But some of the state's most heavily contested races remained too close to call into early Wednesday morning. 

Democrats lead Michigan’s congressional delegation with seven seats to Republicans’ six, though planned retirements and members running for even higher office have thrown twists into the mix.

There were few surprises in early results, with wins by Republican incumbents Jack Bergman of Watersmeet (1st Congressional District), John Moolenar of Caledonia (2nd), Tim Walberg of Tipton (5th), Lisa McClain of Bruce Township (9th) and Bill Huizenga of Holland (4th.)

Democratic incumbents Debbie Dingell of Ann Arbor (6th), Haley Stevens of Birmingham (11th), Rashida Tlaib of Detroit (12th) and Shri Thanedar of Detroit (13th) also prevailed. 

Though every congressional seat is important in Michigan, four rise above the rest and are expected to be close, hyper-competitive races. Results in those districts are still pending, with polls staying open until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Hudson concedes to Scholten

While full results are not yet in, Republican challenger Paul Hudson said early Wednesday he had conceded to Scholten in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, a former GOP stronghold that has recently trended Democratic.

“It was a disappointing result,” Hudson wrote on social media, “but, as they say, the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing.”

Here are the latest results in the race:

While former political maps lumped the Democratic-leaning city of Grand Rapids in with stalwart Republican areas, the current iteration extends to the Lake Michigan coastline and includes portions of Muskegon and Ottawa counties, making it far more politically competitive. 

Prior to winning election, Scholten worked as an immigration attorney. Her 2022 run was her second try for office — she lost to US Rep. Peter Meijer in 2020 by 6 points when the district was far more favorable to Republicans. 

Since joining Congress, the Grand Rapids Democrat has focused on improving K-12 and higher education and preserving reproductive rights. She serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Small Business. 

Hudson of East Grand Rapids is an appellate attorney and senior partner at Miller Canfield. He is also the grandson of former Michigan State University football coach Duffy Daugherty. 

In 2022, he unsuccessfully ran for the Michigan Supreme Court as a Republican nominee. Hudson has called for lowering taxes and reducing government spending while raising educational standards and supporting small businesses.

Mid-Michigan battle

In the race between two former-state Senate colleagues, Republican Tom Barrett appeared headed to victory against Democrat Curtis Hertel in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, leading by double digits.

The district is open because US Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, chose to run for Michigan’s open US Senate seat rather than for reelection. 

It’s an area rather split down the middle, politically, with local voters leaning Democratic by just one percentage point in the 2020 presidential election — though the area leaned Republican by 4 percentage points in 2016.

Barrett of Charlotte is a US Army veteran and a retired member of the Michigan Army National Guard who represented portions of the congressional district in the state Senate. He narrowly lost to Slotkin in 2022.

Hertel of East Lansing is a former state senator who also served as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s legislative director, as well as the Ingham County Commission and as the county’s register of deeds. He is a member of a  family that’s long been involved in Michigan politics.

Race to succeed Dan Kildee

In the race to succeed retiring longtime US Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, Republican Paul Junge was locked in a tight battle with Democratic state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet in the 8th Congressional District.

The district includes all of Saginaw and Bay counties. It also comprises most of Genesee County and portions of Midland and Tuscola counties. Although centered around Flint, other major cities within the district include Saginaw, Bay City and Midland.

Junge is a former Trump administration official who was appointed to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2018 to work in external affairs. A former deputy district attorney turned television reporter, Junge has run in the 8th US House district in each election since 2020 — both times advancing as the Republican nominee before losing in the general election. 

McDonald Rivet currently serves in the state Senate, representing the 3rd District, which includes all of Bay and Saginaw counties, as well as parts of Genesee, Midland and Tuscola counties. She previously worked in a variety of roles including as vice president of the Skillman Foundation, an education grant making organization aimed at assisting Detroit’s young people.

James, Marlinga rematch

In southeast Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, Republican US Rep. John James was up double digits in his rematch against Democratic challenger Carl Marlinga.

The district comprises southern Macomb County and parts of Oakland County. Major cities include Warren, Mount Clemens, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, Rochester and Rochester Hills.

Before his election to Congress in 2022, James served as president of a supply-chain management company and CEO of a logistics services company based in Detroit. He also served in the military for eight years, leading two platoons in combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Marlinga has been a fixture in Macomb County politics for years, serving as a judge, the county’s prosecutor and an assistant US attorney. He ran and lost against James in 2022.

And in other races

Most other nine races were not expected to be nearly as close. Here are the results of all the races.