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Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Democratic primary)

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Michigan's 8th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 23, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
DDHQ and The Hill: Toss-up
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Michigan's 8th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th
Michigan elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A Democratic Party primary took place on August 6, 2024, in Michigan's 8th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Kristen McDonald Rivet advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 53.1%-42.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 50.3%-48.2%.[2]

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 23, 2024
August 6, 2024
November 5, 2024


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.[3][4]

This page focuses on Michigan's 8th 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

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Kristen McDonald Rivet defeated Matt Collier and Pamela Pugh in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Kristen McDonald Rivet
Kristen McDonald Rivet
 
53.3
 
43,393
Image of Matt Collier
Matt Collier
 
26.4
 
21,482
Image of Pamela Pugh
Pamela Pugh Candidate Connection
 
20.3
 
16,525

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 81,400
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.

Pamela Pugh

Image of Pamela Pugh

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "As a scientist, community leader, and statewide education advocate, Pamela Pugh has dedicated her life to improving the lives and livelihoods of everyday Michiganders. From being appointed as the Chief Health Advisor in response to the Flint Water Crisis to championing equitable and adequate funding for our public school system as President of the Michigan State Board of Education, Dr. Pugh has been taking charge on the issues that are most important to everyday Michiganders. Pamela has lived in Michigan's 8th congressional district for 52 years. She was born in Newton, Mississippi, but at the age of one year old, her family moved to Carrollton, Michigan in the Great Lakes Bay region. Her family moved to the City of Saginaw when she was 15 years old where she attended Saginaw High School. After a short stint away graduating from Florida A&M University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Pamela returned to Michigan to continue her pursuit of knowledge earning both a Doctor of Public Health and a Master of Science from the University of Michigan. Pamela has distinguished herself by forging effective partnerships with community organizations, faith-based groups, academia, policymakers, and government at the local, state and federal levels. Through these collaborations, she secured millions in funding to tackle critical environmental health and health equity issues."

Key Messages

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

Family-Sustaining Wages- Pam is committed to crafting policies that ensure every workers’ wage covers their basic needs, including housing, healthcare, education, and a secure retirement. She will continue to support efforts to increase the minimum wage and promote fair compensation practices that narrow income inequality gaps. Job Creation and Workforce Development- In Congress, Pam will support policies that allow small businesses and big businesses alike to hire more Michigan workers and pay them higher salaries. We must have workers prepared for 21st century jobs is to support initiatives that provide affordable childcare to enter the workforce and expanding the Child Care Tax Credit.

At the heart of Pam’s vision for a prosperous and equitable future lies a commitment to transforming our education system. In Congress, she will be dedicated to advocating for public education policy that prioritizes the well-being and success of every student, fosters an environment of learning and growth, and eradicates the systemic barriers hindering their progress. Pam supports a federal Ban on Book Bans, meaning no state or locality can divert educational resources to promote censorship or erode students’ freedom to read. Pamela will create a pathway to an affordable college degree for all and end the student loan debt burden. Investing in schools with money and resources like mental health care, are the priority for Pamela.

Pamela is the only pro-choice CHAMPION in the race. She is 100% dedicated to safeguarding and advancing reproductive rights, recognizing that every individual should have the freedom to make personal decisions about their own bodies and reproductive health. Pam knows access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and family planning services is fundamental to ensuring autonomy, gender equality, and general well-being. Abortions should be safe, legal, and financially attainable. She’ll work to codify access to reproductive freedom by passing a national law mandating coverage for abortion care. Pam will fund programs that provide affordable contraception, preventive care, and family planning services, including supporting Planned Parenthood

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 8 in 2024.

Kristen McDonald Rivet

Image of Kristen McDonald Rivet

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  McDonald Rivet received a bachelor's degree in history from the Michigan State University and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Michigan. She previously worked as executive director of Michigan Head Start Association, a senior policy advisor for Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), chief of staff for Michigan’s Department of Education, and vice president of Michigan Future.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

McDonald said that lowering costs was a central focus of her campaign and that she ran to "make things just a little bit easier for working families...by lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, and pushing back on extremists."

On immigration, McDonald Rivet said she supported "smart investments in border security, cracking down on cartels and drug traffickers and modernizing the system to provide humane, legal, and fair pathways for immigrants...as well as providing a pathway to citizenship."

McDonald Rivet supported keeping abortion legal, and in Congress, she said she would "stand up to the extremists who are trying to pass a national abortion ban, and we will pass a federal law reinstating Roe v. Wade as the law of the land."

Show sources

Sources: MLive, "Meet the candidates to replace Dan Kildee in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District," July 29, 2024; Midland Daily News, "Meet the Democratic candidates running for Michigan's 8th Congressional District," July 3, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 8 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Aug. 6, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by July 22, 2024
  • Online: July 22, 2024

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

N/A

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

  • In-person: Aug. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 2, 2024
  • Online: Aug. 2, 2024

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

  • In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 6, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

July 27, 2024 to Aug. 4, 2024

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Matt Collier Democratic Party $1,212,680 $1,212,680 $0 As of December 22, 2024
Pamela Pugh Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Kristen McDonald Rivet Democratic Party $6,067,032 $6,050,001 $17,031 As of December 31, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2025_01_03_mi_congressional_district_08.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Michigan.

Michigan U.S. Senate competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 1 1 1 6 2 1 1 100.0% 0 N/A
2020 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0.0% 0 N/A
2018 1 1 0 3 2 0 1 50.0% 0 N/A
2014 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0.0% 0 N/A

U.S. House

Michigan U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 13 13 2 43 26 6 6 46.2% 5 45.5%
2022 13 13 2 53 26 4 9 50.0% 7 58.3%
2020 14 14 1 55 28 7 8 53.6% 4 33.3%
2018 14 14 2 51 28 9 1 35.7% 1 9.1%
2016 14 14 2 38 28 3 3 21.4% 3 25.0%
2014 14 14 4 48 28 5 8 46.4% 6 60.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Michigan in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 5, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-three candidates ran for Michigan’s 13 U.S. House districts, including 23 Democrats and 20 Republicans. That’s an average of 3.3 candidates per district.

The 43 candidates who ran in Michigan in 2024 was the fewest number of candidates since 2016, when 38 candidates ran.

The 7th and 8th Congressional Districts were open in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 2.2 districts were open per year.

Incumbent Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-07) did not run for re-election because she ran for the U.S. Senate. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-08) retired from public office.

Six candidates—three Democrats and three Republicans—ran for the open 8th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in Michigan in 2024.

Twelve primaries—six Democratic and six Republican—were contested in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 11.4 primaries were contested per year.

Five incumbents—three Democrats and two Republicans—were in contested primaries in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 4.2 incumbents ran in contested primaries.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 13 districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Michigan's 8th the 218th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Michigan's 8th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
50.3% 48.2%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[6] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
52.8 44.2 D+8.6

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Michigan, 2020

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 13 Democratic wins
  • 17 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
Winning Party R R R P[7] 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
See also: Party control of Michigan state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Michigan, May 2024
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 February 2024
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 54
     Republican Party 54
     Other 0
     Vacancies 2
Total 110

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2024
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
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
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
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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Michigan in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Michigan, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Michigan U.S. House Democratic or Republican 1,000-2,000 N/A 4/23/2024 Source
Michigan U.S. House Unaffiliated 3,000-6,000 N/A 7/18/2024 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
  3. ↑ NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
  4. ↑ Michigan.gov, "Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary," accessed October 7, 2024
  5. ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
  6. ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023
  7. ↑ 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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