GRAND RAPIDS, MI – East Grand Rapids attorney Paul Hudson on Tuesday bested a fellow Republican for a shot at the 3rd Congressional District seat this fall.
Hudson beat Grand Haven financial advisor Michael Markey Jr. during the Aug. 6 Republican primary by 39,088 votes to 32,447, or 55% to 45%, according to the unofficial results from the Secretary of State.
The win means Hudson will move on to the November general election where he will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, for the 3rd Congressional District seat.
Scholten on Tuesday defended her seat in the Democratic primary against real estate agent Salim Al-Shatel.
Related: Scholten wins Democratic nomination for Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District
The congressional district encompasses portions of Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties, including the cities of Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, Grand Haven and Muskegon.
Scholten, an immigration attorney who worked in the U.S. Department of Justice during President Barack Obama’s administration, is the first Democrat to represent Grand Rapids in Congress since 1977.
She won the seat in 2022 by 13 points over Republican John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official.
Federal campaign finance filings showed a number of big-name West Michigan Republican donors and business leaders coalescing around Hudson instead of Markey in the months leading up to the primary.
As of July 17, Scholten had $2,422,100 in cash on hand going into the primary. Hudson had $306,035 in cash on hand going into the primary.
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