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Michigan's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Michigan's 11th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 21, 2026
Primary: August 4, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Michigan's 11th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th
Michigan elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 4, 2026, in Michigan's 11th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 21, 2026
August 4, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This is one of 56 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 35 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.

This page focuses on Michigan's 11th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Stu Baker
Image of Aisha Farooqi
Aisha Farooqi
Image of Jeremy Moss
Jeremy Moss
Image of Michelle Murphy
Michelle Murphy  Candidate Connection
Image of John Paul Torres
John Paul Torres
Image of Don Ufford
Don Ufford  Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Michelle Murphy

Image of Michelle Murphy

Facebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Michelle M. Murphy. Born, raised in the great city of Detroit, I've called Oakland County home for nearly 40 years, including 28 years in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. This community is where I rebuilt my life, raised my children as a single mother, and discovered my calling to serve. I'm a proud mother of five college graduates, my “Fabulous Five”, a two-time college graduate myself, and a cancer survivor. My life has been shaped by faith, resilience, and determination. I understand homelessness, health crises, and raising children through uncertainty not as policy debates, but as lived experiences. My leadership is rooted in community. I served on the board of a public charter academy during a period of transition and COVID, helping strengthen enrollment, academic performance, and engagement. I've volunteered in our schools, church, supported the Juneteenth celebration in West Bloomfield, mentored students, guided young people on their path to college, and worked with families in crisis situations. This campaign is built through direct engagement with voters, collecting signatures, attending civic and Democratic meetings across the district, because representation requires presence. My principle is simple: Faith. Family. Fight. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Faith grounds me. Family drives me. Fight reminds me I cannot quit. I’m running for Congress because our district deserves leadership rooted in lived experience and the courage to fight for working families every day."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

A Different Kind of Leadership For too long, we’ve been sending the same types of politicians to Washington and expecting different results. Experience in politics does not always mean understanding the realities people face every day. Our district deserves leadership grounded in real-life experience, someone who understands the challenges of working families and has lived on the other side of policies that have failed our communities and our country. I’m running to bring community-rooted leadership to Congress because our communities deserve more than polished promises, they deserve actual results.

Representation Requires Presence I believe representation requires presence. Too often, people feel disconnected from the decisions being made in Washington. Leaders should show up, listen, and stay connected to the communities they serve. That is how I’m building this campaign, by attending civic and Democratic meetings across the district, engaging directly with voters, and personally collecting signatures. Public service should never be distant from the people it represents. When elected, I will continue to lead the same way: by listening, showing up, returning calls, and remaining accountable to the people of Michigan’s 11th District.

Fighting for the People I Serve Public service isn't something I take lightly. For many years my focus was raising my children and guiding them toward successful futures. Now they are grown, I can dedicate my full time and energy to serving the people of Michigan’s 11th District. Too many families feel the system is no longer working for them as the cost of living continues to rise, wages remain stagnant and voices go unheard. I believe government should work for the people it was elected to serve, not special interests. I'm running to fight for policies that strengthen working families, expand opportunity, and restore trust that leadership in Washington can deliver meaningful solutions and accountability for the people we serve.

Don Ufford

Image of Don Ufford

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Build Things In Michigan Donald Trump’s erratic actions and reckless tariffs are hurting the auto industry and putting a tariff tax on Michigan families. With over 30 years of experience in the auto industry, Don knows that Trump’s actions are going to cost Michigan thousands of jobs in the manufacturing and automotive supply chain. Don and his teams redesigned and relaunched the Ford Mustang and the legendary F-150, leading to the opening of a new Michigan auto plant that is still in operation today, providing thousands of good-paying jobs. After Ford, Don fought to secure $50 million to train workers here in Michigan. In Congress, he will put that experience to work to create jobs and grow American manufacturing right here in Michigan.

Protect Our Healthcare Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are putting Americans’ health at risk by cutting Medicaid, threatening to increase costs for plans under the Affordable Care Act, and making public health decisions that break with recommendations by the nation’s leading doctors and scientists. In Congress, Don will restore Medicaid funding for families, hospitals, and nursing homes. He’ll work to increase health insurance access through the Affordable Care Act, lower prescription drug prices, and fight against the Trump administration’s attack on science so that Michiganders have access to vaccines and other tools available to keep them healthy and safe.

Lower Costs Growing up, Don and his family didn’t have much, but they knew that with hard work and a little help from their community, they could make ends meet. Today, costs are rising on everything from housing, to healthcare, to groceries. Michigan families are struggling to just get by, and Donald Trump and politicians in Washington are making it even harder by giving tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families. As an engineer, Don was tasked with solving complex problems in building the next generation of automobiles. In Congress, he’ll use those skills to lower costs of everyday items like groceries, lower the cost of housing, and cut taxes for working families, so that we can build a stronger middle class.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Aug. 4, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by July 20, 2026
  • Online: July 20, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 3, 2026
  • By mail: Received by July 31, 2026
  • Online: July 31, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 11, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

July 25, 2026 to Aug. 2, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Stu Baker Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Aisha Farooqi Democratic Party $181,827 $144,432 $37,395 As of December 31, 2025
Jeremy Moss Democratic Party $780,835 $270,572 $510,263 As of December 31, 2025
Michelle Murphy Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
John Paul Torres Democratic Party $90,257 $19,352 $70,906 As of December 31, 2025
Don Ufford Democratic Party $533,697 $178,079 $355,618 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2025_01_03_mi_congressional_district_011.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+9. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 9 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Michigan's 11th the 136th most Democratic district nationally.[3]

2024 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Michigan's 11th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
57.0%41.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Michigan, 2024

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 13 Democratic wins
  • 18 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[4] R R R R D D R D R R R D D D R R R R R D D D D D D R D R
See also: Party control of Michigan state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Michigan
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 6 8
Republican 0 7 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 13 15

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Michigan's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Michigan, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Jocelyn Benson
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Dana Nessel

State legislature

Michigan State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 19
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 52
     Republican Party 58
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 110

Trifecta control

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D
House D S S R R D D R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Michigan in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Michigan, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Michigan U.S. House Democratic or Republican 1,000-2,000 N/A 4/21/2026 Source
Michigan U.S. House Unaffiliated 3,000-6,000 N/A 7/16/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.531," accessed December 9, 2025
  2. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.576," accessed December 9, 2025
  3. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  4. ↑ Progressive Party


Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Gary Peters (D)
Elissa Slotkin (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (7)


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