U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District
Thomas J. Smith
CandidateR
- Race
- U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District
- Result
- Kristen McDonald Rivet, projected winner
- Opponents
- Kristen McDonald Rivet (D); Jim Casha (G); C. Mia Pettus (LIB); 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
Tom will support finishing the wall, restoring deportations, and ending catch-and-release.
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
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.
Tom will support finishing the wall, restoring deportations, and ending catch-and-release.
His campaign site says he will support finishing the border wall, restoring deportations and ending catch-and-release.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Thomas J. Smith, a Republican retired General Motors engineer who co-owns a salsa company, lost the November 3, 2026 election for U.S. House in Michigan's 8th District to Kristen McDonald Rivet. He won the August 2026 Republican primary with about half the vote even though he had suspended his campaign in mid-July, and his name remained on the ballot because ballots had already been printed.[1][2][3][4]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Thomas J. Smith earned a bachelor's degree from Kettering University and a graduate degree from Michigan State University.[4] He worked as an engineer at General Motors before retiring and is a small business owner who co-owns a salsa company, according to news reports.[1][2]
Smith entered the 2026 Republican primary for Michigan's 8th District against Trump-endorsed Amir Hassan and Al Lemmo. He suspended his campaign in mid-July and endorsed Lemmo, but his name remained on the ballot.[1] On August 4, 2026, he won the primary with 50.4% of the vote, ahead of Hassan (about 33%) and Lemmo, and became the party's nominee against Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet. In a statement he said he was "humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me to take the fight to Kristen McDonald Rivet."[4][1] His campaign website described his approach as conservative leadership guided by the Constitution, faith and freedom.[6] He received 41.9% of the vote to Kristen McDonald Rivet's 55.5%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]
In their own words
Priorities
Statements, quoted without a stance
- Faster transition away from fossil fuels
“Michigan's energy sector must thrive. Tom supports American energy independence — oil, gas, and nuclear — and opposes job-killing green mandates.”[5]
On his campaign website's issues page
Campaign money$243K raised · 26% from individuals · FEC through 2026-08-24
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $2,685
- Own money & loans $7,605
Largest committee contributions
- Six PAC PAC$5,000
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/thomas-j-smith
Compare all 5 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Republican Congressional candidate wins 8th district primary even though he dropped out · Michigan Public · 2026-10-21 News report
- 2.Meet the Michigan salsa mogul who just beat a Trump-endorsed Republican · Washington Examiner · 2026-10-21 News report
- 3.U.S. House · Michigan's 8th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 4.Thomas J. Smith (Michigan) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 5.Issues · Tom Smith for Congress Candidate's own words
- 6.Tom Smith for Congress · Tom Smith for Congress · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words