Michigan U.S. House District 8 Candidates

Michigan U.S. House District 8 Candidates

Three Democrats and three Republicans are running in their party's Aug. 6 primary for the chance on Nov. 5 to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat. The 8th district includes Genesee, Bay and Saginaw counties and Midland city.

Democratic Candidates

Matt Collier, Democrat

Collier has a wealth of experience connected to this district, where current U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, is stepping down. Collier served as mayor of Flint; before that, he was district director for the late U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, the current officeholder’s uncle. A West Point graduate and Army Airborne-Ranger, he also served as a senior advisor in the Department of Veterans Affairs under former President Barack Obama. He says he’s running to fight for middle-class families, bring jobs back to the area and protect veterans.

Read more about Collier here: https://collierformichigan.com/

Kristen McDonald Rivet, Democrat

Elected two years ago to the state Senate, McDonald Rivet, of Bay City, came to politics having previously worked to improve education and childcare, serving as executive director of Michigan Head Start, chief of staff for the state Department of Education and vice president of the Skillman Foundation. In the state Legislature, she has led efforts to cut taxes on middle-class families, has advocated for protecting abortion rights and pushed a bill requiring safe storage of firearms around children. She says she’s going to continue making those issues priorities and working to bring better-paying jobs to Michigan.

Pamela Pugh, Democrat

The president of the state Board of Education, Pugh, of Saginaw, initially looked at a run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat before settling on this race when U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee announced he would not run for reelection. In announcing her run, she said she wanted to make sure communities like hers “had a strong, capable and experienced voice in Washington.” With a doctorate in public health, Pugh helped the city of Flint respond to lead contamination in its water supply as public health advisor and says she is running to protect abortion rights, advocate for economic security for workers, combat climate change and ensure equal access to education.

Read more about Pugh here: https://www.pughmichigan.com/

Republican Candidates

Mary Draves, Republican

A lifelong Midland resident, Draves spent nearly three decades at Dow Chemical, rising to become a vice president with the company. Announcing her run for the U.S. House this year, she chastised Washington politicians for “embracing policies that raise prices, open up our communities to violent crime, and dictate how we live.” She said she will work to solve political dysfunction and promote more fiscal responsibility. Bringing down inflation, providing more certainty to farmers and protecting gun rights are among her priorities.

Read more about Draves here: https://dravesforcongress.com/

Anthony Hudson, Republican

A Grand Blanc trucking company owner, Hudson says he is running to fight “tyranny and corruption in Washington,” calling for the southern border to be closed and spending on what he characterizes as “wasteful” overseas priorities to be stopped. He’s campaigning on stopping any gun restrictions, supporting small businesses like his, repairing local roads and bridges and stopping funding for electric vehicle battery plants in Michigan.

Read more about Hudson here: https://anthonyhudson2k24.com/

Paul Junge, Republican

Junge, of Grand Blanc, is running for a third time since 2020, having lost to U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, that year and to U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, in 2022. A former Lansing TV anchor who then worked in Washington for a U.S. senator and Citizenship and Immigration Services, Junge says he is running to promote “fair trade, fewer regulations, lower taxes” and to stop the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants across the southern border. He is also a strong supporter of Israel, saying the U.S. must stand with “freedom-loving allies.”

Read more about Junge here: https://www.pauljunge.com/

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan U.S. House District 8 Candidates