U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District
C. Mia Pettus
CandidateLIB
- Race
- U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District
- Result
- Kristen McDonald Rivet, projected winner
- Opponents
- Kristen McDonald Rivet (D); Thomas J. Smith (R); Jim Casha (G); Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did1 statement · 0 votes
School choice • Public, charter, private & homeschool options • Funding follows the student
Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 8
2026-11-03
| Kristen McDonald Rivet D | incumbent |
| Thomas J. Smith R | challenger |
| Jim Casha G | challenger |
| C. Mia Pettus LIB | challenger |
| Kathy Goodwin Working Class Party | challenger |
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
School choice • Public, charter, private & homeschool options • Funding follows the student
Her campaign platform lists school choice, with public, charter, private and homeschool options and funding that follows the student.[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
C. Mia Pettus, a Libertarian Party candidate and former police officer and independent researcher, lost the November 3, 2026 election for U.S. House in Michigan's 8th District to Kristen McDonald Rivet.[1][2]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Pettus describes herself as a Michigan resident, Christian and mother. She is a former City of Philadelphia certified police officer and a former Department of Defense Navy civilian federal police officer, and she is an independent researcher who publishes the PALS Report on Substack.[1] She says her run for Congress was also shaped by personal experience, including building a business, financial hardship, parenting a child with a disability and periods of housing instability.[1]
Pettus advanced from the Libertarian Party convention on June 28, 2026.[1] During the campaign, she emphasized constitutional limits, government transparency and privacy protections.[1] She received 0.8% of the vote to Kristen McDonald Rivet's 55.5%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]
In their own words
Priorities
- Lowering the cost of living, including grocery, energy, housing and healthcare costs.[3]
- Growing Michigan jobs, including sustainable manufacturing, skilled trades and small business.[3]
- Government transparency, oversight and whistleblower protections.[3]
- Protecting constitutional rights, including Fourth Amendment protections and ending surveillance.[3]
Statements, quoted without a stance
- Expand public health coverage
“Universal access • Public financing with private/nonprofit providers”[3]
In her campaign's 19-item congressional platform
- Protect legal access to abortion
“Patient autonomy • Reproductive healthcare decisions • Medical privacy”[3]
In her campaign's 19-item congressional platform
- Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
“Secure borders • Credible enforcement • Orderly legal immigration”[3]
In her campaign's 19-item congressional platform
- Increase police funding and staffing
“Professional, trained & fairly compensated officers • Recruitment & retention”[3]
In her campaign's 19-item congressional platform
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/c-mia-pettus
Compare all 5 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.C. Mia Pettus · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 3.Priorities (Congressional Platform, 19 priorities, dated 09/28/2026) · Pettus for Congress · 2026-09-28 Candidate's own words