(The Center Square) – Michigan voters will decide several key U.S. House races Tuesday as control of Congress hangs in the balance.
Across the state, 13 candidates are vying for seats in the U.S. House, with 10 incumbents seeking reelection.
Michigan’s current delegation consists of six Democrats and seven Republicans.
Of the 13 races, four are considered solid Republican seats, six are solid Democratic seats, and three are toss-ups. That leaves Democrats positioned to potentially gain one or two U.S. House seats in Michigan, particularly as two of the three toss-up races currently lean in their favor.
District 4
Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District.
McCann was first elected to the state House in 2010, later winning election to the state senate in 2018.
He is running on lowering costs, protecting healthcare, and clean energy.
“No one said this race would be easy. But the energy across Southwest Michigan is electric. Every door knocked, every conversation, and every vote brings us closer,” McCann said on Wednesday. “Make a plan to vote, remind your friends and family, and join us knocking doors if you can. Let’s finish strong!”
First elected to the U.S. House in 2010, Huizenga has served in District 4 since 2022. Before joining Congress, he served in the Michigan state House since 2002.
Huizenga is running on fighting inflation, expanding American energy, and bringing jobs back to Michigan.
Huizenga is endorsed by President Donald Trump and the race is expected to lean Republican.
District 7
In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, progressive William Lawrence overcame controversy to secure the Democratic nomination and is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Tom Barrett.
One of the most closely-watched races in the country, the race leans Democratic.
Barrett first flipped the seat in 2024, after Sen. Elissa Slotkin pursued a run in the upper chamber. He was one of four Republicans who voted alongside Democrats in July on a war powers resolution to restrict President Donald Trump’s military action in Iran.
Lawrence is running on lowering costs, protecting the environment, and ending the war in Iran.
“Tom Barrett is fighting for Donald Trump and his disastrous economic agenda,” Lawrence said on Wednesday. “I’m fighting for you, Mid-Michigan.”
Barrett’s priorities include securing the border, lowering the cost of living, and housing affordability.
Barrett is endorsed by Trump.
“Tom’s opponent, William Lawrence, is a Radical Left Democrat,” Trump posted on social media this week. “Tom Barrett has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.”
District 10
In the one competitive Michigan U.S. House race without an incumbent, Democratic prosecutor Christina Hines and Republican Michael Bouchard face off for the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. John James, who is running for governor.
The race is considered a toss-up, with some analysts rating it as leaning Republican and others viewing it as leaning Democratic.
Hines is running on lowering costs, fighting corruption, and protecting families.
“As a prosecutor, I spent 10 years taking on the worst of the worst and making sure our community was safe,” Hines said on Thursday. “Mike Bouchard Jr. is trying to attack my record because he is terrified of having to admit that he is in Trump's pocket and has NO PLAN to actually tackle rising costs.”
Bouchard has been endorsed by Trump. His priorities include brining jobs back the U.S., border security, and lowering costs.
“This seat was won in 2022 by less than half a percentage point. Your vote matters,” Bouchard said on Wednesday. “Christina Hines worked at a law firm that was defending an ISIS terrorist, at the same time my friends and I were fighting ISIS in the Middle East. Talk about a contrast election. Vote for freedom.”
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Elyse Apel, a graduate of Hillsdale College, is a reporter for The Center Square covering Minnesota and Michigan. Her work has appeared in a range of national outlets, including the Washington Examiner, The American Spectator, and The Daily Wire.
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