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Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 4
- Primary type: Open
- Registration deadline(s): July 21
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Early voting starts: June 10 (Michigan permits early voting in the form of in-person absentee voting)
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 4 (received)
- Voter ID: Photo ID (affidavit option for those without ID)
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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Michigan's 3rd Congressional District |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: May 8, 2020 |
Primary: August 4, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Justin Amash (Libertarian) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Michigan |
Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th Michigan elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
Peter Meijer won Michigan's 3rd Congressional District Republican primary on August 4th. Meijer and Lynn Afendoulis led the field in media coverage, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements.[1] The seat was left open after incumbent Justin Amash joined the Libertarian Party and decided to not pursue a minor-party candidacy.[2] As of 9:30 p.m. Central Time on August 4th, 64% of precincts had reported. Peter Meijer led with 51% of the vote, followed by Lynn Afendoulis with 25%, and Tom Norton with 18%.
Peter Meijer is a U.S. Army veteran and the great-grandson of Hendrik Meijer, the founder of the supermarket chain of the same name. Meijer had worked most recently as a real estate analyst with Olympia Development of Michigan.[3] Before running for office, Meijer supported legislation affecting veterans, like the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.[4] Meijer said he would end military involvement in the Middle East, oppose abortion, and focus on the economy and immigration.[5]
Lynn Afendoulis was serving her first term as a representative in the Michigan State Legislature. Before assuming the office, she worked at Universal Forest Products.[3] Afendoulis’ key issues included the economy, immigration, opposing pollution of the Great Lakes, and opposing abortion.[5]
As of July 17, Meijer had raised $1,507,967, including $475,000 in self-funded contributions. Afendoulis had raised $884,011, including $256,000 in self-funded contributions.[6][7] Meijer's noteworthy primary endorsements included U.S House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, while Afendoulis' noteworthy primary endorsements included Susan B. Anthony List and two former primary competitors.[8][9]
Joe Farrington, Tom Norton, and Emily Rafi were also running in the primary.
The candidates had differed on their degree of support for President Donald Trump.[7] In a July 14 debate, when the candidates were asked if they support Trump, Afendoulis affirmed her support for the President, stressed the importance of respect, and said that he “has gotten many, many critical things done.” Meijer, in response to the same question, said he was “not running to be a rubber stamp,” lauded the President’s efforts to end military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and said he’d like to work with the President to do so.[10]
In regards to the long-term dynamics of Meijer and Afendoulis' stances, The Detroit News wrote, “two political forces collide in the race for Amash's seat. One is President Donald Trump, who remains popular among GOP primary voters. The other is Democrats' momentum in West Michigan, [...] fueled by hesitation about Trump among general election voters.”[7]
Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:
![]() Lynn Afendoulis |
![]() Peter Meijer |
This page focuses on Michigan's 3rd Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Michigan modified its primary election process as follows:
- Candidate filing procedures: The petition signature requirements for select primary candidates was reduced to 50 percent of their statutory requirements. The filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8.
- Voting procedures: Absentee ballot applications sent automatically to all registered voters in the primary election.
- Political party events: The Democratic Party of Michigan canceled its state convention, originally scheduled for March 21, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Election updates
- May 1, 2020: U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) endorsed Meijer.[11]
- April 23, 2020: Former primary candidate Joel Langlois (R) endorsed Afendoulis.[12]
Candidates and election results
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Peter Meijer | 50.2 | 47,273 |
![]() | Lynn Afendoulis ![]() | 26.1 | 24,579 | |
![]() | Tom Norton | 15.8 | 14,913 | |
Joe Farrington | 4.2 | 3,966 | ||
Emily Rafi ![]() | 3.7 | 3,462 |
Total votes: 94,193 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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
- Andrew Jackson Willis (R)
- James Lower (R)
- Joel Langlois (R)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[13] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Michigan House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
Submitted Biography: "I am a mother, the granddaughter of immigrants, and someone who has called West Michigan home my entire life. I had a successful 38-year career in the private sector before being called into public service in 2018 when I first ran for the Michigan State Legislature. As a young woman growing up, I learned about what my grandparents faced in their homelands and the sacrifices they made not just to come to this country in search of the American Dream, but also as new Americans, and it shaped my perspective on life. It also gave me a deep appreciation for the community and drove me to engage in the community as an adult. I am running because I know our community deserves better than we have had from Justin Amash. I believe the needs and voice of West Michigan have been underrepresented since 2010. And, in these trying times, we need better than that. "
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 3 in 2020.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Meijer was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He attended West Point and Columbia University before joining the U.S. Army. After serving in Iraq from 2010 to 2011, Meijer worked for a conflict analysis NGO in Afghanistan. He then received an MBA from New York University and returned to Michigan to work as an analyst at Olympia Development of Michigan.
Show sources
Sources: Ionia Sentinel-Standard, "MI-3 candidate Meijer thinks he can provide fresh leadership for district," July 16, 2020. WOOD TV8, "Michigan 3rd Congressional District Republican debate," July 14, 2020; votemeijer.com, "About," accessed July 31, 2020. M Live, "See how Republican primary candidates for 3rd Congressional District answered questions on key issues," June 26, 2020.
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 3 in 2020.
Noteworthy Primary Endorsements
This section lists endorsements issued in this election. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
Republican primary endorsements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Endorsement | Afendoulis | Farrington | Meijer | Norton | Rafi | |
Elected officials | ||||||
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)[8] | ✔ | |||||
U.S. House Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas)[8] | ✔ | |||||
U.S. House Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.)[8] | ✔ | |||||
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)[8] | ✔ | |||||
U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)[11] | ✔ | |||||
U.S. House Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.)[8] | ✔ | |||||
Individuals | ||||||
Former primary candidate Joel Langlois (R)[12] | ✔ | |||||
Former primary candidate Andrew Jackson Willis (R)[9] | ✔ | |||||
Organizations | ||||||
Maggie's List[9] | ✔ | |||||
National Association of Realtors PAC[9] | ✔ | |||||
Susan B. Anthony List[9] | ✔ | |||||
Tea Party Express[14] | ✔ | |||||
Value in Electing Women PAC[9] | ✔ |
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+6, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Michigan's 3rd Congressional District the 183rd most Republican nationally.[15]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.03. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.03 points toward that party.[16]
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[17] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[18] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lynn Afendoulis | Republican Party | $1,032,752 | $1,032,735 | $17 | As of December 31, 2020 |
Joe Farrington | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Peter Meijer | Republican Party | $3,501,197 | $3,412,998 | $88,199 | As of December 31, 2020 |
Tom Norton | Republican Party | $51,836 | $51,321 | $515 | As of December 31, 2020 |
Emily Rafi | Republican Party | $26,586 | $26,586 | $0 | As of July 15, 2020 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. 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.[19]
- 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.[20][21][22]
Race ratings: Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. |
See also
- Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020
- United States House elections in Michigan, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Michigan, 2020 (August 4 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ M Live, "How Trump is impacting Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District race," July 29, 2020
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "In race to replace Amash, Meijer may have edge but he's got competition," July 23, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 M Live, "See how Republican primary candidates for 3rd Congressional District answered questions on key issues," June 26, 2020
- ↑ Ionia Sentinel-Standard, "MI-3 candidate Meijer thinks he can provide fresh leadership for district," July 16, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 WZZM 13", "Republicans competing in 3rd Congressional District race debate pandemic, immigration and health care," July 18, 2020
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Campaign Finance Data," accessed July 31, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Detroit News, "Trump looms large in West Michigan race to replace presidential critic Amash," July 25, 2020
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Peter Meijer 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed August 3, 2020
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Lynn Afendoulis 2020 campaign website, "Endorsement List," June 26, 2020
- ↑ WOOD TV8, "Michigan 3rd Congressional District Republican debate," July 14, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 WZZM 13, "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy endorses Peter Meijer for Congress," May 1, 2020
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 MLive, "Former candidate Joel Langlois endorses Lynn Afendoulis in 3rd Congressional District race," April 23, 2020
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Facebook, "Peter Meijer on July 22, 2020," July 22, 2020
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ 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