Open battle for Michigan's 8th District: Kristen McDonald Rivet vs. Paul Junge

DETROIT (FOX 2) - After ten years representing Flint and Saginaw in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Dan Kildee announced his retirement after a health scare. That created an open seat that is being seen by Republicans as an opportunity.

On the GOP side, Paul Junge is taking another shot at congress after falling short in the past two elections. He'll be going up against Kristen McDonald Rivet on the Democratic side.

The district, which includes Flint, Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City, as well as other communities, has grown more conservative since 2022’s redistricting.

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The borders of the district stretch from Midland and Bay City to the north to Flint to the south.

McDonald Rivet spent time in the Michigan Senate and has worked in the state government. Junge, meanwhile, worked in the Trump Administration before running against Elissa Slotkin in 2020 and Kildee in 2022.

Rated as a toss-up by pollsters, the region has historically been a Democratic one that has begun leaning more to the right.