BIOGUIDE M001237 · FEC H4MI08218
Kristen McDonald Rivet
U.S. Representative (since 2025)DINCUMBENT
- Race
- U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District
- Result
- Kristen McDonald Rivet, projected winner
- Opponents
- Thomas J. Smith (R); Jim Casha (G); C. Mia Pettus (LIB); Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party)
- Research
- Basic
Party line16 votes tracked
Broke with Democrats on
- CLARITY Act — digital asset market structure voted yes
- GENIUS Act — stablecoin regulation voted yes
- Laken Riley Act — final passage voted yes
With party = voted the same way as most Democrats who voted.
Said vs. did4 statements · 16 votes
She will also be steadfast in protecting our hard-earned freedoms and security, including defending the right to abortion, and keeping guns out of dangerous hands.
Protect legal access to abortion
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.
She will also be steadfast in protecting our hard-earned freedoms and security, including defending the right to abortion, and keeping guns out of dangerous hands.
Campaigns on defending the right to abortion.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Despite the Speaker stonewalling us for months, Republican members joined Democrats to force a vote to extend the tax credits that will save families in our community thousands of dollars per year
Said the House vote to renew the ACA enhanced premium tax credits would save families thousands of dollars per year and urged the Senate to renew them.[6]
Plain and simple, President Trump’s tariffs will raise costs on working class Michigan families at a time when we can least afford it.
Said the President's far-reaching tariffs will raise costs for working families, while saying she would support strategic tariffs.[10]
- YESResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.[11]
1 of 1 vote point the same way as the statement
Cosponsored H.Con.Res. 40 (119th Congress), a War Powers Resolution measure directing the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities not authorized by Congress.
Documented position[12]
- YESWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization.[13]
- YESWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.[14]
2 of 2 votes point the same way as the statement
No statement on this issue in our sources.
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- NOSAVE Act (H.R. 22, 2025-04-10).[16]
No statement on this issue in our sources.
Biography
Kristen McDonald Rivet is the Democratic U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th District and won re-election on November 3, 2026. Before Congress she worked in education and early-childhood policy, served on the Bay City Commission and represented the 35th District in the Michigan Senate.[1][2][3][4]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Kristen McDonald Rivet was born in 1970 in Portland, Michigan, per Wikipedia. According to her official biography, she was raised in a small farm town, where her father worked in construction and her mother stayed home, and she and her sisters were the first generation in the family to attend college.[3][4] She earned a bachelor's degree in history from Michigan State University in 1992 and a master's degree in education and public administration from the University of Michigan-Flint.[1]
McDonald Rivet began her career in early-childhood and education policy, including as executive director of Michigan Head Start, chief of staff of the Michigan Department of Education and vice president of The Skillman Foundation, according to her official biography.[3] She later worked as vice president of Michigan Future, Inc., president and CEO of Greater Midland, Inc., and chief strategy officer of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance.[1]
In Bay City she held local office, first on the city's Charter Commission and then on the Bay City Commission.[1][4] Voters elected her to the Michigan Senate (District 35) in November 2022, defeating Annette Glenn (R). She served from 2023 to 2025 as assistant majority floor leader and sat on committees including Appropriations and Education and Career Readiness.[1][4]
McDonald Rivet won Michigan's 8th District in 2024 after the retirement of Rep. Dan Kildee, defeating Paul Junge (R), and took office in January 2025.[1][4] In the U.S. House she serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and she was elected Freshman Leadership Representative to the New Democratic Coalition.[1][3] She advanced unopposed from the August 4, 2026 Democratic primary. According to her official biography, she lives in Bay City with her husband, Joseph, and has six children.[1][3] According to her official biography, her priorities include cutting taxes for working and middle-class families and lowering costs for groceries, housing, prescription drugs and child care.[3] She won the November 3, 2026 general election with 55.5% of the vote to Thomas Smith's 41.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]
Recent votes
| Date | Party line | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-03 | With partyvoted yes | War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilitiesH. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · roll call ↗Democrats 211–1 · Republicans 4–207 |
| 2026-02-11 | With partyvoted yes | Resolution disapproving tariffs on CanadaH.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · roll call ↗Democrats 213–1 · Republicans 6–210 |
| 2026-02-03 | With partyvoted no | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government fundingH.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · roll call ↗Democrats 21–193 · Republicans 196–21 |
| 2026-01-08 | With partyvoted yes | Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extensionH.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · roll call ↗Democrats 213–0 · Republicans 17–196 |
| 2025-12-17 | With partyvoted yes | War Powers Resolution on VenezuelaH. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · roll call ↗Democrats 208–1 · Republicans 3–212 |
| 2025-12-10 | With partyvoted yes | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passageS. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · roll call ↗Democrats 115–94 · Republicans 197–18 |
| 2025-11-18 | With partyvoted yes | Epstein Files Transparency ActH.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · roll call ↗Democrats 211–0 · Republicans 216–1 |
| 2025-11-12 | With partyvoted no | Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending voteH.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · roll call ↗Democrats 6–207 · Republicans 216–2 |
Showing the 8 most recent of 16 votes.
All 16 recorded votes
| Date | Party line | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-03 | With partyvoted yes | War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilitiesH. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · roll call ↗Democrats 211–1 · Republicans 4–207The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans. |
| 2026-02-11 | With partyvoted yes | Resolution disapproving tariffs on CanadaH.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · roll call ↗Democrats 213–1 · Republicans 6–210The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy. |
| 2026-02-03 | With partyvoted no | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government fundingH.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · roll call ↗Democrats 21–193 · Republicans 196–21The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026. |
| 2026-01-08 | With partyvoted yes | Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extensionH.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · roll call ↗Democrats 213–0 · Republicans 17–196The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans. |
| 2025-12-17 | With partyvoted yes | War Powers Resolution on VenezuelaH. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · roll call ↗Democrats 208–1 · Republicans 3–212The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region. |
| 2025-12-10 | With partyvoted yes | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passageS. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · roll call ↗Democrats 115–94 · Republicans 197–18The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year. |
| 2025-11-18 | With partyvoted yes | Epstein Files Transparency ActH.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · roll call ↗Democrats 211–0 · Republicans 216–1The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support. |
| 2025-11-12 | With partyvoted no | Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending voteH.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · roll call ↗Democrats 6–207 · Republicans 216–2The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively. |
| 2025-07-17 | Against partyvoted yes | CLARITY Act — digital asset market structureH.R. 3633 · Passed 294–134 · roll call ↗Democrats 78–134 · Republicans 216–0The CLARITY Act creates a regulatory framework dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It sets registration and disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital-asset intermediaries. |
| 2025-07-17 | Against partyvoted yes | GENIUS Act — stablecoin regulationS. 1582 · Passed 308–122 · roll call ↗Democrats 102–110 · Republicans 206–12The GENIUS Act creates a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, requiring issuers to hold reserves backing their tokens on a one-to-one basis and to comply with new disclosure and licensing rules. It was the first major piece of cryptocurrency legislation enacted into federal law. |
| 2025-07-03 | With partyvoted no | One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passageH.R. 1 · Passed 218–214 · roll call ↗Democrats 0–212 · Republicans 218–2H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends and expands the 2017 tax cuts, adds new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and seniors, and raises the cap on state and local tax deductions. It increases border security and defense spending while cutting projected Medicaid and SNAP spending and adding new work requirements; President Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025. |
| 2025-06-12 | With partyvoted no | Rescissions Act of 2025H.R. 4 · Passed 214–212 · roll call ↗Democrats 0–208 · Republicans 214–4The Rescissions Act canceled about $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, mostly for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was the first rescissions package Congress had approved in decades. |
| 2025-05-22 | With partyvoted no | One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passageH.R. 1 · Passed 215–214 · roll call ↗Democrats 0–212 · Republicans 215–2H.R. 1 extends and modifies the 2017 individual and business tax cuts, creates new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and increases spending on border security and defense. It also reduces projected spending on Medicaid and food-assistance programs and adds new work requirements for some recipients. |
| 2025-04-10 | With partyvoted no | SAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registrationH.R. 22 · Passed 220–208 · roll call ↗Democrats 4–208 · Republicans 216–0The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish procedures to remove noncitizens identified on voter rolls. |
| 2025-03-11 | With partyvoted no | Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025H.R. 1968 · Passed 217–213 · roll call ↗Democrats 1–212 · Republicans 216–1The bill funded the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2025, largely at prior-year spending levels, averting a shutdown ahead of a March 14 deadline. It also extended several expiring health and other program authorizations. |
| 2025-01-22 | Against partyvoted yes | Laken Riley Act — final passageS. 5 · Passed 263–156 · roll call ↗Democrats 46–156 · Republicans 217–0The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted for theft, burglary, or certain violent crimes. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions. |
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- actionAssigned to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 119th Congress (2025-2026).[17]
In their own words
Campaign money$5.6M raised · 70% from individuals · FEC through 2026-07-15
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $3.6M
- PACs & committees $1.5M
- Party $4,221
Largest committee contributions
- Jstreetpac PAC$23K
- Emilys List PAC$11K
- American Crystal Sugar Company Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- Corning Incorporated Employees Political Action Committee (Corepac) PAC$10K
- Growth Energy PAC PAC$10K
- Moms Fed Up PAC$10K
- Crh Americas, Inc. PAC PAC$10K
- Dte Energy Company Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- PAC to the Future PAC$10K
- NEA Fund for Children and Public Education PAC$10K
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/kristen-mcdonald-rivet
Where they stood out
Voted against most of their party on 51 of 457 party-divided votes on file.
Most often on: Rights & public safety (19), Jobs & cost of living (12), Climate & energy (10)
Protecting Domestic Mining Act
What it does: Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 This bill provides statutory authority for federal agencies to expedite the environmental review of certain mining infrastructure projects.
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 7–201, Republicans 210–0
Sep 2, 2026Official record ↗
Main Street Act
What it does: Main Street Capital Access Act or the Main Street Act This bill lessens and otherwise modifies banking regulations, including those regarding institution formation, supervision by federal financial regulators, and ban…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 56–154, Republicans 213–1
Jul 21, 2026Official record ↗
Amendment (Boebert) to H.R. 8800 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
A yes vote supported an H.R. 8800 amendment that strikes section 518, a pilot program using voice-based risk assessment technology to identify servicemembers for drug testing. (AI-written)
What it does: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 This bill sets forth policies and authorities for FY2027 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs, activities, and military construction as well as the national…
Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 175–37, Republicans 90–123
Jul 21, 2026Official record ↗
Their votes on the most contested roll calls
The votes in their chamber that came out closest and most divided by party, among those they voted on. How we rank
- Yes
Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act
With most of their party · Failed 214–217 · Yes 214–No 217 · Democrats 214–0, Republicans 0–216
Feb 11, 2026Official record ↗
- No
With most of their party · Passed 217–215 · Yes 217–No 215 · Democrats 0–214, Republicans 216–1
Feb 25, 2025Official record ↗
- Yes
With most of their party · Failed 215–215 · Yes 215–No 215 · Democrats 213–0, Republicans 2–214
Jan 22, 2026Official record ↗
- Yes
With most of their party · Failed 213–213 · Yes 213–No 213 · Democrats 211–0, Republicans 2–212
Jun 4, 2025Official record ↗
- No
With most of their party · Passed 214–212 · Yes 214–No 212 · Democrats 0–211, Republicans 213–1
Nov 18, 2025Official record ↗
Compare all 5 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Kristen McDonald Rivet · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Michigan's 8th District U.S. House election results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 3.About · Office of Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet · 2026-10-21 Official record
- 4.Kristen McDonald Rivet · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 5.McDonald Rivet's 2024 campaign website statement, archived by Ballotpedia (she had not completed a 2026 Candidate Connection survey as of this research) · Ballotpedia · 2024-01-01 Candidate's own words
- 6.Congresswoman McDonald Rivet Statement on ACA Tax Credits Renewal Passing the House of Representatives · Office of Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet Candidate's own words
- 7.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
- 8.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
- 9.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
- 10.McDonald Rivet Statement on White House Tariff Announcement · Office of Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet Candidate's own words
- 11.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
- 12.H.Con.Res. 40 (Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.) — sponsors and cosponsors · Congress.gov Official record
- 13.Roll call: War Powers Resolution on Venezuela · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-12-17 Official record
- 14.Roll call: War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-06-03 Official record
- 15.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
- 16.Roll call: SAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-04-10 Official record
- 17.Kristen McDonald Rivet · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference