Updated, 12:10 a.m. and 12:27 a.m., 8/7/24
In Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, former Trump administration employee Paul Junge will advance to the November ballot, securing the GOP nomination in what is expected to be a tight race, critical for party control of Congress.
Junge prevailed over opponents Mary Draves and Anthony Hudson, receiving 72.4% of the vote as of 11:29 p.m. with roughly 23% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
Republicans seeking to flip 8th Congressional District talk border security, jobs and energy
With U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) announcing in November that he would not seek reelection, both parties are pushing hard to ensure their control of the district.
State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City), Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former Flint Mayor Matt Collier are running on the Democratic side.
Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is rated as a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, with the National Republican Congressional Committee listing the district as one of its targets for 2024 in a bid to grow Republican’s majority in the U.S. House.
Junge, who unsuccessfully challenged Kildee in 2022, is a former prosecutor and former news anchor who worked in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump Administration. He was endorsed by the former president on July 26.
Junge’s campaign has emphasized his work during the Trump campaign, with Junge pledging to “fight to secure the border, build the wall, stop the deadly flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl.” He supports lowering taxes and regulations on businesses and said he would push Congress to incentivize companies to bring operations back to the U.S and invest in states like Michigan.
Draves previously served as the vice president of environmental health and safety as the chief sustainability officer at Dow Chemical Co., and owns a business selling cars with her husband.
Hudson works as a truck driver and runs his own trucking company. He pointed to crime and poverty as the biggest concerns in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. He describes himself as an “average American citizen that is tired of the direction our country is going,” noting his support for former President Donald Trump and the former president’s vision for the nation.
Junge doubled down on his campaign promises in a statement released after the race was called by the Associated Press.
“I am grateful voters responded to my commitment to secure the border, rebuild our economy and take on the many failures in Washington D.C.,” Junge said. “Our country is headed in the wrong direction and I will use my experience in the Trump administration securing the border and as a criminal prosecutor and business owner to fight hard for the people of mid-Michigan.”
Draves thanked her supporters and decried what she called negative campaigning from Junge.
“My whole life and career have been dedicated to service and I will continue to serve the 8th district to create opportunities for those who live here just like I do. What we have built on this campaign will not go away. Our message to Mid-Michigan is this: we will continue to fight for you, continue our work to deliver results, and lead with integrity in whatever capacity that may be,” she said.