Barrett, McDonald Rivet, Scholten, James win key Michigan US House races

• Republicans flip Michigan US House seat with Tom Barrett win in Lansing-area race
• Democrats hold competitive thumb area seat with win by Kristen McDonald Rivet
• US Reps. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids, John James of Shelby Township hold off challengers

LANSING — Republicans flipped a key Michigan House seat and defended another to reclaim an edge in the state’s congressional delegation. 

Republican Tom Barrett won election to replace Democratic US Rep. Elissa Slotkin in mid-Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and Republican US Rep. John James of Shelby Township won reelection in the 10th. 

Elsewhere, Democrats held the state’s 8th Congressional district, where state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet beat Republican Paul Junge, and US Rep. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids won reelection in the 3rd Congressional District. 

Republicans now lead Michigan’s congressional delegation with seven seats to Democrats’ six, with every incumbent maintaining control of their district regardless of party. 

Though ballots are still being counted, and certain races have yet to be officially called by the Associated Press, losing candidates have conceded. Here’s where those races stand.

Hudson concedes to Scholten

While full results were 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.

Hertel concedes to Barrett

In the race between two former-state Senate colleagues, Republican Tom Barrett has flipped the 7th Congressional District, beating Democrat Curtis Hertel, according to the Associated Press.

While ballots were still being counted early Wednesday , Hertel conceded to Barrett in a 3 a.m. statement, applauding his GOP rival for "decades of service to our nation in the Army" and wishing him well in "this next chapter of service."

Here are the latest results:

The seat is open because 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.

McDonald Rivet to succeed Kildee

In the race to succeed retiring longtime US Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, Democratic state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet has defeated Republican Paul Junge to win the 8th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.

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.

McDonald Rivet won despite former President Donald Trump flipping Saginaw County, winning it after losing it in 2020.

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.

Marlinga concedes to James

In southeast Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, James was up by roughly 6 percentage points as of Wednesday morning in his rematch against Democratic challenger Carl Marlinga.

Though the Associated Press has yet to officially declare James as the victor, Marlinga — with 93% of the vote counted in the district — conceded defeat in a statement just after 10 a.m. Wednesday.

“While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, I am incredibly grateful for the support and dedication of the people who stood by me throughout this campaign,” Marlinga said. “This race was about more than just a seat in Congress—it was about standing up for our shared values.”

The 10th 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.