Some of Michigan's 13 congressional races are in the national spotlight. Here's who's running.
DETROIT (CBS) – As many in the country keep their eyes on which way the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump goes in battleground Michigan, there are also a number of congressional seats also up for vote.
Michigan has 13 congressional districts, a significant portion of which are centered around the Detroit metro area. The seats Michigan has in the U.S. House of Representatives are currently split almost down the middle, with seven being held by members of the Democratic Party and six held by Republicans.
One of those — the 7th Congressional District — is currently held by Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who has kept her Lansing-area swing district in Democratic hands since her first election in 2018.
Another contest being closely watched is in the state's 8th District, which includes Flint and Saginaw. That district is currently represented by Rep. Dan Kildee, but he's not seeking reelection.
Some of the key counties to watch in statewide Michigan elections are Wayne (home to Detroit), Oakland, Macomb, Kent (home to Grand Rapids), Genesee (home to Flint) and Washtenaw (home to Ann Arbor).
District 1
The largest district in Michigan by land area, the 1st Congressional District encompasses all of the state's upper peninsula, along with a significant portion of the northernmost counties in the lower portion of the state. It covers close to half the entire state's land mass. Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie are among the cities included in this district.
Republican Rep. Jack Bergman is seeking reelection in this district. He's served four terms in the district, having been first elected in 2016. He's running against Democratic Party opponent Callie Barr.
District 2
Michigan's 2nd Congressional District covers significantly more territory than its previous iteration, including a number of counties along the lower peninsula's west coast, and stretching east toward Mount Pleasant.
Republican Rep. John Moolenaar is running for another term in the district. He is wrapping his first term in that district, having won in 2022 with 63.7% of the vote, and is running against Democrat Michael Lynch.
District 3
The 3rd Congressional District in Michigan was considered to potentially be among the more competitive statewide, if not nationwide, although the latest Cook Political Report ranks the district under "likely Democrat." There, Rep. Hillary Scholten is seeking another term, and is running against Republican opponent Paul Hudson.
Scholten won in 2022 after Republican Rep. Peter Meijer lost his primary challenge against John Gibbs. Meijer was among the Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Trump following Jan. 6.
The district encompasses Grand Rapids and the area west of it, toward the Lake Michigan shoreline.
District 4
The 4th Congressional District is in the southwestern portion of Michigan's lower peninsula, including such cities as Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. It is currently held by Republican Bill Huizenga, who is in his first term representing the district. He served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008.
He faces Democratic Party challenger Jessica Swartz.
District 5
Michigan's 5th Congressional District stretches the entire length of the state's southern border, from New Buffalo on one end to Monroe, LaSalle Township and Bedford Township on the other. Redistricting moved where this district lives significantly following the most recent census.
Republican Rep. Tim Walberg is seeking reelection, and is facing Democratic Party challenger Libbi Urban.
District 6
The 6th District in Michigan encompasses the area to the south and west of Metro Detroit, including Ann Arbor.
Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell is seeking reelection there. The wife of former 12th District Rep. John Dingell, she ran for his seat there after he said he wouldn't seek re-election in 2014. Now serving the 6th District, she faces Republican Heather Smiley.
District 7
Running to replace Slotkin in the 7th Congressional District are Democrat Curtis Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett, both former state senators. Voters in the 7th District narrowly backed Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
Michigan's 7th District includes the capitol district of Lansing and surrounding areas. The Cook Political Report ranks it as a "leans Republican" district.
District 8
Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican Paul Junge are running to replace Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, who is not seeking a seventh term. McDonald Rivet is a state senator, while Junge is a former prosecutor and local news anchor who lost to Kildee in 2022.
Cook Political Report ranks the 8th District as a "toss-up," making it among the 22 districts the organization considers to be among the nation's closest overall.
The 8th District includes such areas as Flint, Midland, Saginaw and Bay City.
District 9
Michigan's 9th Congressional District includes much of the area north of Metro Detroit and Pontiac, including Bad Axe and Sandusky.
It's currently being represented by Republican Lisa McClain, wrapping up her freshman term as a U.S. Representative. She faces Democratic challenger Clinton St. Mosley.
District 10
The 10th District of Michigan hews to the northeastern zone of Metro Detroit, including Saint Clair Shores, Clinton Charter Township, Van Dyke, Sterling Heights and Shelby Charter Township. The Selfridge Air National Guard Base is included in this district.
Republican Rep. John James is in a rematch against Democratic opponent Carl Marlinga, who James narrowly defeated in the 2022 election by half of a percentage point. Nevertheless, the Cook Political Report ranks it as a "leans Republican" district in the 2024 race.
Prior to being elected, James, 43, served in the U.S. Army for eight years as an aviation officer and was president of a supply chain and logistics solutions group. Marlinga, 77, worked 20 years as Macomb County Prosecutor and nearly nine years as a circuit court judge for the county.
District 11
Michigan's 11th Congressional District covers a number of northwestern suburbs in Metro Detroit and beyond, including Farmington, Ferndale and Oak Park, along with the Pontiac region.
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens is seeking a fourth term, having most recently defeated here 2022 opponent, Republican Mark Ambrose, by more than 22 percentage points. She faces Republican challenger Nick Somberg.
District 12
The 12th Congressional District in Michigan is represented by Democrat and member of "The Squad," Rashida Tlaib. It encompasses a large swath of Metro Detroit, including such areas as Dearborn Heights, Livonia, Westland, Redford Charter Township and Southfield.
Tlaib faces Republican challenger James Hooper, but she handily won the district in 2022 with 70.8% of the vote.
Tlaib has been highly critical of the war in Gaza during 2024. She is the only Palestinian American in Congress, and the U.S. House voted to censure her by a vote of 234 to 188, with 22 Democrats joining all but 4 Republicans. In an emotional speech on the House floor after the vote, Tlaib said her comments on Israel had been directed at its government and asked her colleagues not supportive of a cease-fire to consider the plight of Palestinians.
"I can't believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable," she said. "We are human beings, just like anyone else."
District 13
The heart of downtown Detroit and areas surrounding make up Michigan's 13th Congressional District, where Rep. Shri Thanedar is seeking a second term. He previously served as U.S. Representative for the state's 3rd District, prior to redistricting.
He faces a challenge from Republican Martell Bivings, along with a number of other third-party candidates. Thanedar won the district in 2022 with a comfortable 47-point margin.
