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Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Michigan's 3rd 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: 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 |
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 3rd 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 3
Incumbent Hillary Scholten, Zachary Ketchum, and J. Allen Fiorletta are running in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Hillary Scholten (D) | ||
| Zachary Ketchum (D) | ||
| J. Allen Fiorletta (R) | ||
= 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here. You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary Scholten | Democratic Party | $1,085,874 | $469,103 | $966,486 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Zachary Ketchum | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| J. Allen Fiorletta | Republican 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 3rd Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
| 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
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 |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Incumbent Hillary Scholten (D) defeated Paul Hudson (R), Louis Palus (Working Class Party), and Alexander Avery (L) in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hillary Scholten (D) | 53.7 | 225,510 |
| | Paul Hudson (R) | 43.8 | 183,952 | |
| | Louis Palus (Working Class Party) | 1.3 | 5,546 | |
| | Alexander Avery (L) ![]() | 1.3 | 5,281 | |
| Total votes: 420,289 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Incumbent Hillary Scholten (D) defeated Salim Al-Shatel (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hillary Scholten | 90.6 | 64,546 |
| | Salim Al-Shatel ![]() | 9.4 | 6,665 | |
| Total votes: 71,211 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Paul Hudson (R) defeated Michael Markey Jr. (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Hudson | 54.7 | 39,410 |
| | Michael Markey Jr. | 45.3 | 32,678 | |
| Total votes: 72,088 | ||||
= 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
- J. Allen Fiorletta (R)
- Jason Ickes (R)
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Alexander Avery (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on July 20, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Alexander Avery ![]() |
= 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. | ||||
Working Class Party convention
Working Class convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Louis Palus (Working Class Party) advanced from the Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on June 23, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Louis Palus |
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Hillary Scholten (D) defeated John Gibbs (R), Jamie Lewis (L), and Louis Palus (Working Class Party) in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hillary Scholten (D) ![]() | 54.9 | 185,989 |
| | John Gibbs (R) ![]() | 42.0 | 142,229 | |
| | Jamie Lewis (L) | 2.0 | 6,634 | |
| | Louis Palus (Working Class Party) | 1.2 | 4,136 | |
| Total votes: 338,988 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Hillary Scholten (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hillary Scholten ![]() | 100.0 | 59,661 |
| Total votes: 59,661 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
John Gibbs (R) defeated incumbent Peter Meijer (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Gibbs ![]() | 51.8 | 54,136 |
| | Peter Meijer | 48.2 | 50,440 | |
| Total votes: 104,576 | ||||
= 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
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Jamie Lewis (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on July 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jamie Lewis |
= 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. | ||||
Working Class Party convention
Working Class convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Louis Palus (Working Class Party) advanced from the Working Class Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on June 26, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Louis Palus |
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Peter Meijer (R) defeated Hillary Scholten (D), Richard Fuentes (Independent), and Shannon Hogan (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Peter Meijer (R) | 53.0 | 213,649 |
| | Hillary Scholten (D) | 47.0 | 189,769 | |
| Richard Fuentes (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Shannon Hogan (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 403,419 | ||||
= 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
- Justin Amash (L)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Hillary Scholten (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hillary Scholten | 100.0 | 65,008 |
| Total votes: 65,008 | ||||
= 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
- Cathy Albro (D)
- Doug Booth (D)
- Amanda Le'Anne Brunzell (D)
- Nick Colvin (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3
Peter Meijer (R) defeated Lynn Afendoulis (R), Tom Norton (R), Joe Farrington (R), and Emily Rafi (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 3 on August 4, 2020.
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 | ||||
= 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
- Andrew Jackson Willis (R)
- Joel Langlois (R)
- James Lower (R)
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.

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+4. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Michigan's 3rd the 172nd most Democratic district nationally.[5]
2020 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.
| Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 53.0% | 45.0% |
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[6] | 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 |
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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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 |
See also
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
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Progressive Party
= candidate completed the