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Hillary Scholten

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Hillary Scholten
Scholten in 2023
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byPeter Meijer
Personal details
Born
Hillary Jeanne Scholten

(1982-02-22) February 22, 1982 (age 42)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJesse Holcomb
Children2
Education
WebsiteHouse website

Hillary Jeanne Scholten (/ˈskoʊltən/ SKOHL-tən; born February 22, 1982)[1][2] is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents Grand Rapids and much of the urban core of West Michigan, in a district once represented by former President Gerald Ford.

Early life and career

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Scholten grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan. She attended Unity Christian High School and graduated from Gordon College and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.[3]

Scholten was a judicial law clerk and attorney adviser for the Board of Immigration Appeals from 2013 to 2017. When the Obama administration ended, she moved back to Grand Rapids and became a staff attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2020

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See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan § District 3

In July 2019, Scholten announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 elections.[3] She was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.[5] She lost the general election to Republican nominee Peter Meijer,[6] but came the closest a Democrat had come to winning the district since 1982, when incumbent Republican Harold S. Sawyer was held to 51% in what was then the 5th district.[7] It was also only the second time since 1982 that a Democrat had received 40% of the vote; the Democratic nominee received 43% two years earlier.[8]

2022

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See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan § District 3

Scholten ran again in the 2022 elections.[9] She was again unopposed in the Democratic primary. She was initially preparing for a rematch against Peter Meijer, but Meijer lost the Republican primary to a considerably more conservative challenger, former Trump administration official John Gibbs.[10]

Scholten was running in a district that had been made much friendlier to Democrats in redistricting; it had been pushed to the west to grab a large portion of the Lake Michigan shoreline, including Muskegon.[11] Had it existed in 2020, Joe Biden would have won it with 53% of the vote;[12] Donald Trump carried the old 3rd with 51%.[13] Scholten (54.9%) defeated Gibbs (42%) to win election to the 118th United States Congress.[14]

2024

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Scholten ran again in the 2024 election. She had token opposition in the Democratic primary, winning 91% of the vote. She went on to win the general election winning 53.7% of the vote against a Republican opponent.[15]

She joined in the calls for Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee, becoming the first in Michigan's congressional delegation to do so leading to retaliation from Biden allies.[16][17]

Caucus memberships

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Source:[18]

Committee assignments

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Political positions

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Scholten joined Vice President and 2024 Democratic Party presidential candidiate Kamala Harris and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in Harris's Reproductive Rights Tour who participated in a roundtable discussion in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the topic of reproductive rights for women, February 2024 at The Fountain Street Church, a historic church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Harris complimented on Scholten's grit on a women's right to choose and praised her for being an advocate for Reproductive Rights. Scholten supports abortion rights.[21] In a speech opposing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, she cited Jeremiah 1:5, which states, "I knew you before I formed you and placed you in your mother's womb", a verse commonly cited by Christians "to make theological or scriptural arguments in favor of legal protections for preborn children".[22][23]

Personal life

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Scholten's husband, Jesse Holcomb,  is a journalism professor at Calvin University, a Reformed Christian institute. They have two sons, James and Wesley.[3] Scholten is a member of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church where she currently serves as a deacon. [24] Scholten describes herself as a devout Christian who is strong in her faith.[25]

Electoral history

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Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2020[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Peter Meijer 213,649 53.0
Democratic Hillary Scholten 189,769 47.0
Independent Richard Fuentes (write-in) 1 0.0
Total votes 403,419 100.0
Republican gain from Libertarian
Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2022[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hillary Scholten 185,989 54.87
Republican John Gibbs 142,229 41.96
Libertarian Jamie Lewis 6,634 1.96
Working Class Louis Palus 4,136 1.22
Total votes 338,988 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2024
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hillary Scholten (incumbent) 225,400 53.7
Republican Paul Hudson 183,896 43.8
Libertarian Alex Avery 5,282 1.3
Working Class Louis Palus 5,546 1.3
Total votes 418,841 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ "Candidate Conversation: Hillary Scholten (D)". Inside Elections.
  2. ^ McVicar, Brian (October 2, 2020). "Democrat Hillary Scholten Raises $1.5M in Race to Replace Congressman Amash, Tops GOP Rival Meijer". MLive. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Nann Burke, Melissa (July 8, 2019). "Democrat Scholten joins race for Amash's seat in U.S. House". The Detroit News. Detroitnews.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Immigration attorney jumps into Democratic primary for 3rd Congressional District". mlive. July 8, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Rod, Marc (August 3, 2020). "The race to succeed Rep. Justin Amash heats up". Jewish Insider.
  6. ^ Boucher, Dave. "Peter Meijer defeats Hillary Scholten in west Michigan congressional race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "MI District 5 Race – Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns.
  8. ^ "Our Campaigns – MI District 03 Race – Nov 06, 2018".
  9. ^ "Hillary Scholten jumping into Democratic primary to replace Rep. Peter Meijer in Congress". mlive. February 1, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Peter Meijer concedes to John Gibbs in Republican primary for 3rd Congressional District race". Michigan Radio. August 3, 2022.
  11. ^ Nisa Khan; Emma Ruberg (February 14, 2022). "The changes to Michigan's congressional map, district by district". Michigan Radio.
  12. ^ Nir, David (November 14, 2022). "Daily Kos presidential results by congressional district". Daily Kos.
  13. ^ Nir, David (November 19, 2020). "Presidential election results by congressional district". Daily Kos.
  14. ^ "Scholten defeats Gibbs for Grand Rapids Congress seat". Freep.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Booth-Singleton, DeJanay (November 6, 2024). "Rep. Hillary Scholten wins re-election in Michigan's 3rd District, CBS News projects - CBS Detroit". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  16. ^ Detroit News (July 11, 2024). "Democratic Michigan congresswoman joins calls for Biden to 'step aside' as nominee".
  17. ^ Politico (July 18, 2024). "Biden allies retaliated against a Dem who called for him to step aside".
  18. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Hillary Scholten. January 3, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  19. ^ "Endorsed Candidates". NewDem Action Fund. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  20. ^ a b "Congresswoman Hillary Scholten Appointed to the Transportation and Infrastructure and Small Business Committees". Representative Hillary Scholten. January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  21. ^ McVicar, Brian; Frick, Melissa (November 9, 2022). "Hillary Scholten defeats Trump-backed John Gibbs for West Michigan congressional seat". mlive. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  22. ^ Kamman, Samantha; Reporter, Christian Post (January 13, 2023). "Democrat cites Jeremiah 1:5 to defend abortion: 'It doesn't say the government's womb'". The Christian Post. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  23. ^ Saksa, Jim (September 14, 2023). "For Hillary Scholten, faith (and Jerry Ford) led the way to Congress - Roll Call". rollcall.com. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  24. ^ Rani, Rikha Sharma (August 3, 2020). "Could These Evangelical Democrats Change the Party?". POLITICO. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "Representative Hillary Scholten". scholtenforms.house.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  26. ^ "2020 Michigan Election Results Official". Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  27. ^ "2022 Michigan Election Results - General". Michigan Secretary of State. November 28, 2022. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 3rd congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
415th 		Succeeded by
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