GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Incumbent U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, defended her seat Tuesday against a fellow Democrat in a landslide primary win.
Scholten beat real estate agent Salim Al-Shatel during the Aug. 6 Democratic primary by 62,235 votes to 6,406, or 91% to 9%, according to unofficial election results from the Secretary of State.
The win means Scholten, a first-term U.S. representative, will move on to the November general election to face either East Grand Rapids attorney Paul Hudson or Grand Haven financial advisor Michael Markey Jr.
As of 10:36 p.m., with 17% of votes counted, the two Republicans were running neck and neck, with Markey leading 50.8% to Hudson’s 49.2%.
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.
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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