Kristen McDonald Rivet
DemocraticIncumbent
U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th district since 2025; former Michigan state senator
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U.S. House · Nov 3, 2026
Incumbent: Kristen McDonald Rivet, running for re-election.
Republican nominee Tom Smith suspended his campaign in July and endorsed another candidate but still won the August 4 primary; candidates are listed in the order of the Michigan Department of State's official listing.
U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th district since 2025; former Michigan state senator
Retired General Motors engineer and co-founder of Jar Head Salsa
Former Philadelphia police officer and former Department of Defense civilian police officer
Green Party nominee for Michigan's 8th district in 2024
Health care social worker; Working Class Party nominee for Michigan's 8th district in 2022 and 2024
What each candidate says they support or would do, on the issues they campaign on. Summaries use the same neutral words for everyone and link to the candidate’s own words.
Researched with AI and confirmed by a second, independent AI check. Our editors haven’t reviewed it yet. How we verify
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Led House passage of a tax cut for families buying health care, supports letting every American choose to buy into Medicare, and is working to make drug companies negotiate prices with Medicaid.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports universal access to health care through public financing with private and nonprofit providers, and lower prescription costs through generic competition.
GreenJim Casha
Calls for policies that recognize fetal alcohol spectrum disorder as a permanent brain injury, provide early diagnosis and fund lifelong supports.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
Says health care is a basic human right, supports health care for all, and supports each person's right to make their own decisions about their body and health care.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Says she opposed and helped stop an electric-vehicle mandate pushed by her own party that she says would have cost Michigan auto jobs.
RepublicanTom Smith
Supports U.S. energy independence through oil, gas and nuclear power and opposes green mandates he says kill jobs.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports grid modernization and solar and sustainable energy, and says data-center energy costs should be allocated so they are not shifted to residents and ratepayers.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
Says Michigan's for-profit utility monopolies make energy unaffordable for working people; supports renewable energy under the control of the people who live where it is produced.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Introduced legislation with members of both parties to make it illegal for members of Congress to trade stock or take part in prediction markets where they have insider information, and supports reversing Citizens United.
RepublicanTom Smith
Supports term limits, government transparency and accountability for career politicians.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports government transparency and oversight, including FOIA access, whistleblower protections and independent audits of federal spending, contracts and grants.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
Supports finishing the border wall, restoring deportations and ending catch-and-release, and calls illegal immigration a national security crisis.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports secure borders, credible enforcement and orderly legal immigration based on the framework of the Barbara Jordan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, along with employer accountability and due process.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
Says it is wrong that immigrants and noncitizens are denied due process, and supports free speech and Fourth Amendment rights for everyone.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Says she is working to end tariffs she calls reckless and to stop Wall Street from buying up housing, and leads a bipartisan group focused on cutting red tape she says drives up utility and housing costs.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
Supports automatically raising wages, pensions and disability payments whenever prices rise, and says factories, health care and schools need more workers.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Has secured federal funding for local police and sheriff's departments and cosponsors a bipartisan bill to fully fund local law enforcement.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports professional, trained and fairly compensated police officers, recruitment and retention, civilian oversight, body cameras and constitutional accountability, and youth programs.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
Supports bills to extend Michigan's anti-gerrymandering practices to the rest of the country.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
Supports protecting First and Second Amendment rights and says he will stand against federal overreach.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
Would cut spending he calls wasteful, reduce regulations and lower taxes so families keep more of what they earn.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
Would work to balance the federal budget, cut programs he calls wasteful and hold government accountable.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
Says he will work to ensure veterans receive the care, benefits and respect they deserve; he is the father of three veterans.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
No published position found.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports warrant requirements and digital privacy protections, safeguards on FISA Section 702 surveillance, and oversight of automated license-plate readers such as Flock.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports school choice with funding that follows the student among public, charter, private and homeschool options, along with vocational education and apprenticeships.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.
DemocraticKristen McDonald Rivet
No published position found.
RepublicanTom Smith
No published position found.
LibertarianC. Mia Pettus
Supports patient autonomy in reproductive health care decisions and stronger safeguards, including warrants, on government access to medical records.
GreenJim Casha
No published position found.
Working ClassKathy Goodwin
No published position found.