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Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Michigan's 3rd Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
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: Likely 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 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th
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

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

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 Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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."
** 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.

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 trackerRace ratings
12/23/202512/16/202512/9/202512/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe 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
Image of Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten (D)
 
53.7
 
225,510
Image of Paul Hudson
Paul Hudson (R)
 
43.8
 
183,952
Image of Louis Palus
Louis Palus (Working Class Party)
 
1.3
 
5,546
Image of Alexander Avery
Alexander Avery (L)  Candidate Connection
 
1.3
 
5,281

Total votes: 420,289
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.

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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
Image of Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten
 
90.6
 
64,546
Image of Salim Al-Shatel
Salim Al-Shatel  Candidate Connection
 
9.4
 
6,665

Total votes: 71,211
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.

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
Image of Paul Hudson
Paul Hudson
 
54.7
 
39,410
Image of Michael Markey Jr.
Michael Markey Jr.
 
45.3
 
32,678

Total votes: 72,088
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

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
Image of Alexander Avery
Alexander Avery  Candidate Connection

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.

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
Image of Louis Palus
Louis Palus

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.

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
Image of Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten (D)  Candidate Connection
 
54.9
 
185,989
Image of John Gibbs
John Gibbs (R)  Candidate Connection
 
42.0
 
142,229
Image of Jamie Lewis
Jamie Lewis (L)
 
2.0
 
6,634
Image of Louis Palus
Louis Palus (Working Class Party)
 
1.2
 
4,136

Total votes: 338,988
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.

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
Image of Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten  Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
59,661

Total votes: 59,661
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.

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
Image of John Gibbs
John Gibbs  Candidate Connection
 
51.8
 
54,136
Image of Peter Meijer
Peter Meijer
 
48.2
 
50,440

Total votes: 104,576
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.

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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
Image of Jamie Lewis
Jamie Lewis

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.

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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
Image of Louis Palus
Louis Palus

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.

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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
Image of Peter Meijer
Peter Meijer (R)
 
53.0
 
213,649
Image of Hillary Scholten
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 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

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
Image of Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten
 
100.0
 
65,008

Total votes: 65,008
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

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
Image of Peter Meijer
Peter Meijer
 
50.2
 
47,273
Image of Lynn Afendoulis
Lynn Afendoulis  Candidate Connection
 
26.1
 
24,579
Image of Tom Norton
Tom Norton
 
15.8
 
14,913
Joe Farrington
 
4.2
 
3,966
Emily Rafi  Candidate Connection
 
3.7
 
3,462

Total votes: 94,193
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

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_03.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+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.

2024 presidential results in Michigan's 3rd Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
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
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
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of State Democratic Party Jocelyn Benson
Attorney General Democratic 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

See also

Michigan 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Michigan congressional delegation
Voting in Michigan
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Democratic primary battlegrounds
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  6. Progressive Party


Senators
Representatives
District 1
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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)