Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
← 2024
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Michigan's 7th Congressional District |
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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. |
Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
See also |
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 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 7th Congressional District of Michigan, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.
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
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
![]() | Tom Barrett (R) | |
Elyon Badger (D) ![]() | ||
![]() | Bridget Brink (D) | |
Josh Cowen (D) | ||
William Lawrence (D) | ||
Matt Maasdam (D) | ||
![]() | Alexandra Prieditis (D) | |
![]() | Muhammad Salman Rais (D) |
![]() | ||||
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. | ||||
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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.
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Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I'm Elyon Badger (Samuel Smeltzer), a Michigan Army National Guard veteran, LGBTQIA+ activist, and small contractor running to represent Michigan’s 7th District in Congress. I’ve experienced the failings of our system firsthand and I’m running to build a government that finally works for the people, NOT THE BILLIONAIRES."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Michigan
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Elyon Badger (D)
A "Technology Bill of Rights" is NECESSARY to protect users from their data being misused by big tech. We need rules around AI and how it can and cannot be used. I fear the day an AI video puts someone in jail for a crime they did not commit.
The Drug war has FAILED and it's time to rescind these barbaric laws and give people the HELP they need when they suffer from addiction, our system has profited from their suffering and its time to END it. We can fix these problems.

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)

Elyon Badger (D)
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Barrett | Republican Party | $1,946,162 | $509,260 | $1,459,002 | As of June 30, 2025 |
Elyon Badger | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Bridget Brink | Democratic Party | $503,476 | $18,812 | $484,664 | As of June 30, 2025 |
Josh Cowen | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
William Lawrence | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Matt Maasdam | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Alexandra Prieditis | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Muhammad Salman Rais | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
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." |
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
Race ratings: Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
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Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
10/7/2025 | 9/30/2025 | 9/23/2025 | 9/16/2025 | ||||||
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. |
Ballot access
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
See also: Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2024
Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Democratic primary)
Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Tom Barrett defeated Curtis Hertel and L. Rachel Dailey in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Tom Barrett (R) | 50.3 | 226,722 |
![]() | Curtis Hertel (D) | 46.6 | 209,959 | |
![]() | L. Rachel Dailey (L) | 3.2 | 14,231 |
Total votes: 450,912 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Curtis Hertel advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Curtis Hertel | 100.0 | 72,083 |
Total votes: 72,083 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Tom Barrett advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Tom Barrett | 100.0 | 63,399 |
Total votes: 63,399 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7
L. Rachel Dailey advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on July 20, 2024.
Candidate | ||
✔ | ![]() | L. Rachel Dailey (L) |
![]() | ||||
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. |
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Incumbent Elissa Slotkin defeated Tom Barrett and L. Rachel Dailey in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Elissa Slotkin (D) | 51.7 | 192,809 |
![]() | Tom Barrett (R) ![]() | 46.3 | 172,624 | |
![]() | L. Rachel Dailey (L) | 2.0 | 7,275 |
Total votes: 372,708 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Incumbent Elissa Slotkin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Elissa Slotkin | 100.0 | 77,826 |
Total votes: 77,826 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Tom Barrett defeated Jacob Hagg in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Tom Barrett ![]() | 96.0 | 75,491 |
![]() | Jacob Hagg (Write-in) | 4.0 | 3,108 |
Total votes: 78,599 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7
L. Rachel Dailey advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on July 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
✔ | ![]() | L. Rachel Dailey (L) |
![]() | ||||
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. |
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Incumbent Tim Walberg defeated Gretchen Driskell in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Tim Walberg (R) ![]() | 58.8 | 227,524 |
![]() | Gretchen Driskell (D) | 41.2 | 159,743 |
Total votes: 387,267 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Gretchen Driskell advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Gretchen Driskell | 100.0 | 63,470 |
Total votes: 63,470 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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
- Samuel Larson (D)
- Ryan William Hall (D)
- C.B. Smith (D)
- Samuel Branscum (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7
Incumbent Tim Walberg advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Tim Walberg ![]() | 100.0 | 84,397 |
Total votes: 84,397 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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
- Bruce Gidner (R)
District analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.
See also
Michigan | 2026 primaries | 2026 U.S. Congress elections |
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Voting in Michigan Michigan elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries |
U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018