U.S. Senate
With Senator Debbie Stabenow announcing she will not run for a fifth six-year term in 2024, the state will be electing a new United States senator for the first time since Gary Peters was first elected in 2014.
The Democratic candidate is current Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Lansing. The Republican candidate is former Congressman Mike Rogers of Brighton. Political analysts estimate that the race leans Democratic, but a good Republican year could lead to a Republican U.S. senator from Michigan for the first time since incumbent Senator Spencer Abraham lost to Stabenow 24 years ago.
U.S. House of Representatives
Each of Michigan’s 13 seats in Congress, currently controlled 7-6 by Democrats), are up for election in 2024. With Slotkin and Kildee not running for reelection in their closely matched swing districts, outside money from interest groups on both sides of the ideological divide continues to flow into the state, as control of the U.S. House could be decided by these two elections.
Here are Michigan’s 13 Congressional Districts, separated into three tiers – Toss-Up, Safe/Lean Republican, and Safe/Lean Democrat, based on 2022 election results and analysis from Gongwer:
Toss Up Seats
District 7: This open, 50/50 Lansing/East Lansing-centric seat contains Ingham, Eaton, Livingston, Clinton, and a small portion of Oakland counties. As noted above, incumbent Congresswoman Slotkin, who won the district with 51.7% of the vote in 2022, is running for U.S. Senate, making this toss-up district one of the most competitive in the state.
The Democratic candidate is former state Senator Curtis Hertel, Jr., of East Lansing. Hertel will face former state Senator Tom Barrett of Charlotte. The Libertarian Party is also fielding a candidate in this race, which will most likely be the most expensive congressional race in the state, and possibly the nation. Both parties are spending millions of dollars here, as the district is important to both sides’ chances for control of Congress.
Both Hertel and Barrett have shown support for chiropractic in the past, so we hope either will support pro-chiropractic Medicare and other federal legislation, should they win in November.
Hertel served in the Michigan Senate from 2015-2022. Barrett served in the Michigan House from 2015-2018, and the Michigan Senate from 2019-2022. So, their legislative careers overlapped. During that time, the MAC had three bills that went through the legislative process and were signed into law. Both Barrett and Hertel voted yes on all three bills. They are:
- HB 4449 (2019-2020 Michigan Legislative session). The bill repealed an anti-chiropractic provision in Michigan’s Auto No-Fault statute that allowed auto insurers to refuse to pay chiropractors for lawfully delivered services that they cover and reimburse to other providers.
- HB 5295 and HB 5296 (2021-2022 Michigan Legislative session), The bills allow chiropractors to organize a PLLC or a PC with an MD, DO, podiatrist, or PA.
Stay tuned! This election promises to be very close, and the winner will hopefully be a strong chiropractic supporter in Congress.
District 8: With incumbent Dan Kildee (D-Flint Township), who won in 2022 with 53.1% of the vote, not running for reelection, this will be another close, expensive race. The district contains the cities of Flint, Midland, Saginaw, and Bay City. As mentioned above, Democratic state Senator Kristin McDonald Rivet is running. Her Republicans opponent is former Fox 47 news anchor Paul Junge of Fenton, the nominee in 2022 (and a 2020 nominee in another Michigan congressional seat). Four additional parties are fielding candidates in the 8th: Green, Libertarian, US Taxpayers, and Working Class. With the district this close, could one (or all) of them play the spoiler and siphon votes away from the major party nominees? The district is a toss-up, but some national analysts give Democrats a very slight edge. This is another race where spending by both parties is very high. Stay tuned to this one, too!
Safe / Lean Republican
District 1: Incumbent Congressman Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet), a co-sponsor of the Medicare full inclusion bill, H.R. 1610, is running for re-election in this geographically large district containing the entire UP and much of northern Michigan, including Traverse City. Rep. Bergman was reelected with 60.0% percent of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Republican seat. The Democratic candidate is Callie Barr of Gaylord, a military spouse, teacher, and attorney. The Libertarian and Working Class parties are also fielding candidates in the race.
District 2: Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Caledonia), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is running for re-election in this seat, which contains several mid-Michigan counties and part of the West Michigan lakeshore, including the outer Grand Rapids metropolitan area. Rep. Moolenaar was reelected with 63.9% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Republican seat. The Democratic candidate is Michael Lynch of Alma, a manager with the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan. The Libertarian and US Taxpayers parties are also fielding candidates.
District 4: Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Holland), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is running for re-election in this southwestern Michigan seat, which includes Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and a portion of Ottawa County, including Holland. Rep. Huizenga won the district with 54.4% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Republican seat. The Democrat in the race is Kalamazoo attorney Jessica Swartz, who works at Western Michigan University as deputy general counsel, specializing in free speech cases. She is also a former appellate attorney for the VA. The US Taxpayers Party is also fielding a candidate in the race.
District 5: Incumbent Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is seeking reelection in this district, which contains Michigan’s entire southern border with Indiana and Ohio, all of Jackson County, and portions of Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. Rep. Walberg was reelected with 62.4% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Republican seat. Walberg’s Democratic opponent is Libbi Urban of Buchanan, a retired steelworker, wife, and mom. The Green Party is also fielding a candidate.
District 9: Incumbent Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Township) is seeking reelection in this district based in the Thumb region, including Port Huron and the northern Detroit exurbs. She was reelected with 63.9% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Republican seat. McClain’s Democratic opponent is Clinton St. Mosley, a Lake Orion State Farm insurance agent. The
District 10: This district, based primarily in Macomb County, including Warren and Sterling Heights, as well as a small portion of eastern Oakland County, is represented by Congressman John James (R-Farmington Hills), who is seeking reelection. He was elected with 48.8 percent of the vote in 2022, the closest margin of victory that year. His 2022 opponent, former Macomb County Prosecutor and judge Carl Marlinga, is running again in 2024, and this time national Democrats and outside Democratic-aligned groups are spending in the district looking to unseat James. Some analysts still have the district leaning Republican, but it could change hands in a good Democratic year. The Libertarian and Working Class parties are also fielding candidates.
Safe / Lean Democratic
District 3: Incumbent Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) is seeking reelection in this western Michigan-based district, which contains Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and other lakeshore communities in Ottawa County. Rep. Scholten was elected to represent the district for the first time in 2022 with 54.9% of the vote. This district, which flipped from Republican to Democratic control in 2022, is considered to lean Democratic. Her Republican opponent is attorney Paul Hudson of Grand Rapids. The Libertarian and Working Class parties are also fielding candidates in the race.
District 6: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is running for reelection in this Ann Arbor-based district that includes most of Washtenaw County and significant parts of Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Rep. Dingell was elected with 65.9% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Democratic seat. Her Republican opponent is Riverview’s Heather Smiley, who worked for Ford Motor Company before retiring. The Libertarian and Green parties are also fielding candidates for the seat.
District 11: Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is running for reelection in this Oakland County district, which includes all or parts of Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Waterford Township, Walled Lake, Wixom, and Farmington Hills. She was elected with 61.32% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Democratic seat. The Republican Candidate is Rochester attorney Nick Somberg. The Green Party is also running a candidate.
District 12: Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is seeking reelection in this district, which adds Oakland County’s Southfield to Dearborn and other municipalities in northern Wayne County, including portions of Detroit. She was reelected with 70.8% of the vote in 2022. The district is considered a safe Democratic seat. Her Republican opponent is Livonia tradesman James Hooper. The Green and Working Class parties are also fielding candidates in the district.
District 13: This district, based entirely in Wayne County, includes most of Detroit, Taylor, Romulus, and some Downriver communities. Incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit), a co-sponsor of H.R. 1610, is running for reelection in this seat, which he won with 71.1% of the vote in 2022. The Republican in the race is Martell Bivings of Detroit, who has worked in the US Senate, Michigan House, and as a policy analyst for a Detroit City councilman. The Libertarian and US Taxpayers parties are also fielding candidates in the race.
