Kristen McDonald Rivet, 2026 Michigan 8th District House Democratic candidate
Kristen McDonald Rivet*
DEMOCRATIC
US House of Representatives (D-MI)
2025 – Present
Michigan state flag

Michigan 82026 HOUSE POLLS

Tom Smith, 2026 House candidate
Tom Smith
REPUBLICAN

2026 Michigan 8th District House Forecast:

The Pollsmax 2026 Michigan 8th District House forecast currently gives Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet a 86% chance of defeating Republican Tom Smith. Pollsmax projects Rivet to receive 54.8% of the vote compared with 45.3% for Smith, a projected Democratic margin of 9.5 percentage points. The model currently rates the race as Likely Democratic. The forecast is updated using 100,000 simulations incorporating polling and race fundamentals. See the Pollsmax forecast methodology.

The 2026 Michigan 8th District House election features Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican Tom Smith. Incumbent Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet is seeking reelection to a second term. In 2024, Donald Trump won Michigan's 8th congressional district by 5.5%, and the election for the district's House seat is rated as likely Democratic in 2026.

Year
2026
Race
House
District
MI-8
Democratic candidate
Kristen McDonald Rivet
Republican candidate
Tom Smith
Incumbent / open seat
Kristen McDonald Rivet
Forecast rating
Likely D
Projected vote
54.8% D / 45.3% R
Projected margin
D +9.5
Forecast odds
86.0% D / 14.0% R
Forecast last updated
12:00 AM on November 3, 2026
Polling average
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Polling average margin
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Polling last updated
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Polls included
0
Latest poll
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