Democrat projected to defeat Trump-backed challenge in Michigan's 8th Congressional District

Former Democratic Michigan State Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet is projected by the Associated Press to defeat former Trump administration official Paul Junge on Tuesday in the open race for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District.

McDonald Rivet received 217,390 votes, or 51.25%, while Junge received 189,238 votes, or 44.61%. That's with 98.68% reporting.

The race in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District was to replace retiring Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., who has served in Congress since 2013.

Along with the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, the contest for the 8th District was seen as one of the most competitive in the country.

PAUL JUNGE WINS GOP PRIMARY FOR MICHIGAN’S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Rep. Dan Kildee speaks to several thousand attendees at a presidential campaign rally for Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on Aug. 7, 2024. (Photo by Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

McDonald Rivet focused her campaign on her local ties, accusing Junge of coming from wealth and attempting to buy a U.S. House seat anywhere in the state.

"I have spent my life doing big things that helped our community, helped our schools and helped the economic stability of families," she told the Detroit News in September. "He has been jumping from district to district trying to buy a seat in Congress." 

WHAT MIKE ROGERS TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ABOUT HIS SENATE SHOWDOWN IN MICHIGAN

Paul Junge waves to the crowd before he speaks during a Save America rally on Oct. 1, 2022, in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)

Former Democratic State Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

Junge, meanwhile, attempted to paint himself as an outsider who could disrupt the status quo in Washington.

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"I share with people that five of the top seven counties in the United States of America for average income are all in and around Washington, D.C.," Junge told the Detroit News. "To me, that's an indicator that money flows to Washington and then stays here, instead of either not flowing to Washington, or having it be in places like Michigan's 8th District."

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