Hillary Scholten faces Paul Hudson in Michigan 3rd Congressional District election

• Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten faces Republican attorney Paul Hudson in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District
• The district, which includes Grand Rapids, is considered one of the more competitive in Michigan
• Scholten flipped the seat in 2022 by defeating a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump

First-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten pulled a major upset when she flipped her west Michigan district blue. Now, she has to defend it against a challenge from Republican attorney Paul Hudson.

The 3rd Congressional District underwent a political upheaval in the 2022 cycle. 

While former political maps lumped the Democratic-leaning city of Grand Rapids in with stalwart Republican areas, the current iteration extends to the Lake Michigan coastline and includes portions of Muskegon and Ottawa counties, making it far more politically competitive. 

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Scholten gained an edge in 2022 when political moderate Rep. Peter Meijer lost to his more conservative primary challenger John Gibbs in the GOP primary. She beat Gibbs in the general election with 55% of the vote. 

Democratic presidential candidates have edged out Republicans among local voters in recent election cycles. Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in the district 46.9% to 46.8% in 2016, while President Joe Biden beat Trump 53% to 45% in 2020. 

This year, Scholten coasted through the Democratic primary, winning more than 90% of the vote against challenger Salim Al-Shatel.Hudson, meanwhile, won by 9 percentage points in a spirited — and at times combative — Republican primary against Michael Markey. 

Here is a closer look at the candidates:

Democrat - Hillary Scholten: Prior to winning election, Scholten worked as an immigration attorney. Her 2022 run was her second try for office — she lost to Meijer in 2020 by 6 points when the district was far more favorable to Republicans. Since joining Congress, the Grand Rapids Democrat has focused on helping families, improving K-12 and higher education and preserving reproductive rights. She serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Small Business. 

Republican - Paul Hudson: Hudson, of East Grand Rapids, is an appellate attorney and senior partner at Miller Canfield. He is also the grandson of former Michigan State University football coach Duffy Daugherty. In 2022, he unsuccessfully ran for the Michigan Supreme Court as a Republican nominee. Hudson supports a “GPS” plan of growth, prosperity and security, calling for measures like lowering taxes and reducing government spending while raising educational standards and supporting small businesses.

Libertarian - Alex Avery: Avery, who lists a Wyoming address on campaign filings, was nominated at convention by the Libertarian Party of Michigan. The party advocates for personal liberty over government intervention and considers taxation "theft," according to its platform.

Working Class - Louis Palus: Palus was nominated at convention by the Working Class Party of Michigan. He ran for the same post in 2022 and finished with 1% of the vote in the general election. Among other things, the Working Class party argues that financial profits by big companies was "stolen" from workers and should be returned.