Kristen McDonald Rivet is running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Dan Kildee (D). Rep. Kildee was popular in the district, winning his last two elections by more than 10%, but with the incumbent not running, this is expected to be a very close race. Rep. Kildee has endorsed McDonald Rivet. According to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voter Index, this district is the median district in the country with 217 districts rated more Democratic and 217 districts rated more Republican.
McDonald Rivet faces a trust funder from California, Paul Junge, who has run for Congress in Michigan twice unsuccessfully. In 2020, he faced Rep. Elissa Slotkin, losing by less than 3%. In 2022, he moved to mid-Michigan, where he faced Rep. Kildee and lost by more than 10%, as mentioned. However, Republicans see this as a prime flip opportunity in 2024. Junge loaned his campaign more than $2 million, which made up 94% of his fundraising as of mid-July, and GOP super PACs have $4.5 million reserved for advertisements in the district.
Michigan will be a closely divided state up and down the ticket in November. Rep. Slotkin’s campaign for Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance are likely to be impacted by this contest. Recent polling aggregation since the beginning of August shows Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump within one point in Michigan.
McDonald Rivet currently serves in the Michigan state Senate. She won a hotly contested race in 2022 by 7%. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Michigan Head Start, Chief of Staff for Michigan’s Department of Education and Vice President of The Skillman Foundation.
McDonald Rivet opposes new types of nuclear weapons and wasteful programs that do not add to our national security, and understands the importance of diplomacy in our foreign policy.
