Michigan state senator becomes latest to join crowded race for Kildee House seat

Democratic Michigan state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet is launching a bid to replace the retiring Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) in the House, making her the latest in a long line of contenders seeking to win the competitive seat.

McDonald Rivet announced her intent to run on Wednesday, telling the Detroit News that Kildee approached her to consider a bid. Kildee, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, announced in November 2023 that he would not seek reelection, opening up one of the most competitive seats of the 2024 cycle.

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“As I hear from countless members of our communities about the real struggles they face, I am tired of politicians in DC prioritizing their ambitions over delivering real solutions,” McDonald Rivet said in a statement. “Now, I am eager to continue the mission by picking up on Representative Kildee’s legacy in Congress and working with both parties to pass sensible solutions to lower costs, protecting our hard earned freedoms, and delivering jobs and opportunity to hard working Michiganders.”

McDonald Rivet joins at least two other Democrats who already have announced their bids to replace Kildee, including Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh of Saginaw and Dan Moilanen, executive director of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts. McDonald Rivet could benefit from wider name recognition as she has served in the state Senate for about a year.

The race is expected to be one of the most contentious of the 2024 election cycle as Republicans have been eyeing the Michigan district as a prime pickup opportunity over the last year.

A handful of Republicans have already declared bids, including Paul Junge, who previously ran against Kildee in 2022, and former trauma surgeon Martin Blank. National Republicans have vowed to focus heavily on the race, with the National Republican Congressional Committee already hitting McDonald Rivet shortly after her campaign announcement.

“Kristen McDonald Rivet has chosen to align herself with extreme Michigan Democrats and slimy lobbyists throughout her entire career,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. “She is nothing more than a career politician who is out of touch with the voters of Michigan.”

Kildee is one of 35 House incumbents who have announced they will not seek reelection next year, marking one of the highest retirement rates this early into an election cycle in recent years. That includes 12 Republicans and 23 Democrats.

Those numbers do not include members who have stepped down from office before their terms expired.

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Of the open House races, only a handful are considered to be competitive. Those include the seats held by Kildee and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), which are both rated as toss-ups by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Nearly all Republican districts, with the exception of the seat previously held by disgraced former New York Rep. George Santos, are considered reliably red.