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Hillary Scholten

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Hillary Scholten
Official portrait, 2023
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byPeter Meijer
Personal details
BornHillary Jeanne Scholten
(1982-02-22) February 22, 1982 (age 44)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
SpouseJesse Holcomb (div. 2026)
Children2
Education
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Hillary Jeanne Scholten (/ˈskoʊltən/ SKOHL-tən; born February 22, 1982)[1][2] is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district, which was once represented by former President Gerald Ford, is based in Grand Rapids and includes much of the urban core of West Michigan. Before her election, Scholten worked as an attorney for the Department of Justice and in private practice.[3]

Scholten is the first woman to represent the district, the first Democrat to represent Grand Rapids in Congress since Richard Vander Veen left office in 1977,[4] and the second to represent the city since 1913.[5]

Early life and education

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Scholten was born on February 22, 1982, in Grand Rapids.[6] She grew up in Hudsonville southwest of Grand Rapids. Her mother worked as a public school teacher and her father was a sports journalist for The Grand Rapids Press.[7] Her great-great-grandparents emigrated to West Michigan from the Netherlands; and she grew up in the Christian Reformed Church, a Calvinist denomination having its roots in the Dutch Reformed Church.[8][9]

Hillary Scholten went to Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville and then attended Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004.[6] After college, she worked as a social worker, focusing on housing advocacy for the AIDS Action Committee.[7] She later worked for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington in immigration.[7] She earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore in 2011.[6]

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After law school, Scholten clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, specializing in immigration law.[7] She later joined the U.S. Department of Justice as an attorney adviser for the Board of Immigration Appeals from 2013 to 2017, where she worked on federal immigration policy during the Obama administration.[10] Afterwards, she returned to Michigan, became a staff attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and later worked in private practice.[7][11]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2020

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Michigan's 3rd congressional district up until 2023

In July 2019, Scholten announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 elections.[7] She was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.[12] She lost the general election to Republican nominee Peter Meijer, winning 47% to Meijer's 53%.[13] It was the closest a Democrat had come to winning the district since 1982, when incumbent Republican Harold S. Sawyer was held to 51% in what was then the 5th district (it has been the 3rd since 1993).[14] She was also only the second Democrat since 1982 to win at least 40% of the vote in what had been one of the more Republican urban districts in the country; the Democratic nominee won 43% two years earlier.[15]

2022

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Scholten and the first time members of the 118th Congress, 2023

Scholten ran again in 2022[16] and was again unopposed in the Democratic primary. She was initially preparing for a rematch against Peter Meijer, but Meijer lost the Republican primary to a considerably more conservative challenger, former Trump administration official John Gibbs.[17]

Scholten was running in a district which had been made much friendlier to Democrats in redistricting. The old 3rd had included some rural and exurban territory east of Grand Rapids, then extended south to reach Battle Creek. Redistricting pushed the district to the west to grab a large portion of the Lake Michigan shoreline including Muskegon and Grand Haven.[18] Had the district had existed in 2020, Joe Biden would have won there with 53% of the vote;[19] Donald Trump carried the old 3rd with 51%.[20] Scholten defeated Gibbs 55% to 42% to win election to the 118th United States Congress.[21]

When she took office on January 3, 2023, Scholten became only the second Democrat to represent what is now the 3rd since 1913. The seat had been in Republican hands for all but 35 months since then, the only break coming when Richard Vander Veen won a special election in 1974 for what was then the 5th district after 26-year incumbent Ford gave up the seat to accept an appointment as Vice President. Vander Veen won a full term later that year, but was defeated in 1976.[5][22] Underscoring how Republican this region had historically been, Scholten was the first Democrat to represent Muskegon since 1933 and only the second since 1893,[23] and the first Democrat to represent Grand Haven since 1913.[24]

2024

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Scholten ran again in 2024. She had token opposition in the Democratic primary, winning 91% of the vote. She went on to win the general election winning 53.7% of the vote against Republican challenger and former state Supreme Court candidate Paul Hudson,[25] becoming the first Democrat to win two full terms in the district in 112 years.[5]

2026

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Scholten is running for reelection in 2026.[26]

Tenure

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Scholten was sworn into office on January 7, 2023.[27] She joined in the calls in 2024 for Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee, becoming the first in Michigan's congressional delegation to do so, leading to retaliation from Biden allies.[28][29] During Donald Trump's address to Congress on March 4, 2025, Scholten wore pink, together with many other members of the Democratic Women's Caucus, as a protest.[30][31]

Scholten on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

In the 119th Congress, Scholten is part of:[32]

Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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Scholten supports abortion rights and quoted Jeremiah 1:5 in a House Floor speech, which received backlash from many Christians.[35] In 2025, she was one of 46 House Democrats who joined Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.[36] In July 2025, Scholten placed blame entirely on Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, "Hamas started this war and can end it today. But they choose not to."[37]

During the 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan, Scholten was criticized for remarks widely considered to be Islamophobic, repeating unsupported claims of sexism and extreme rhetoric by the Democratic nominee and criticizing associations with related and unrelated progressive figures.[38] These attacks continued, resulting in questions at a town hall to ask whether Scholten's rhetoric was encouraging hate speech and aimed at maintaining taxpayer support for Israel rather than sincere concerns.[39]

In October 2026, Scholten asserted that an envelope containing unidentified white powder was sent to her congressional office, and that a letter within it purported to be from the Democratic Socialists of America. Scholten called on the DSA to condemn the mailing and stated they should "take or deny responsibility" for the incident, and accused the organization of "[allowing] extremists in its movement who not only allow but justify violence as a viable means to achieve political ends."[40][41] The DSA indicated the listed return address had not been occupied by their organization for more than a decade prior, and that "Needless to say, we are not involved with these letters".[41]

Personal life

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Scholten was married to Jesse Holcomb, a journalism professor at Calvin University in Grand Rapids. Holcomb filed for divorce from Scholten in January 2026 after 20 years of marriage.[42] They have two sons.[7] She is a member of the Christian Reformed Church.[43]

Electoral history

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Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2020[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Peter Meijer 213,649 52.96%
Democratic Hillary Scholten 189,769 47.04%
Independent Richard Fuentes (write-in) 1 0.00%
Total votes 403,419 100.0
Republican gain from Libertarian
Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2022[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hillary Scholten 185,989 54.87%
Republican John Gibbs 142,229 41.96%
Libertarian Jamie Lewis 6,634 1.96%
Working Class Louis Palus 4,136 1.22%
Total votes 338,988 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2024[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hillary Scholten (incumbent) 225,510 53.66%
Republican Paul Hudson 183,952 43.77%
Libertarian Alex Avery 5,281 1.26%
Working Class Louis Palus 5,546 1.32%
Total votes 420,289 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ↑ "Candidate Conversation: Hillary Scholten (D)". Inside Elections.
  2. ↑ McVicar, Brian (October 2, 2020). "Democrat Hillary Scholten Raises $1.5M in Race to Replace Congressman Amash, Tops GOP Rival Meijer". MLive. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ Saksa, Jim (September 14, 2023). "For Hillary Scholten, faith (and Jerry Ford) led the way to Congress". Roll Call. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  4. ↑ Beggin, Riley. "Scholten defeats Gibbs in west Michigan U.S. House race". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Grand Rapids federal representation". VoteView. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Scholten, Hillary". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nann Burke, Melissa (July 8, 2019). "Democrat Scholten joins race for Amash's seat in U.S. House". The Detroit News. Detroitnews.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  8. ↑ Watson, Kathryn (October 19, 2020). "Democratic Candidate Says She Has the Faith to Turn Western Michigan Blue". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on November 1, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ Staff, T. W. N. "MI-03: Hillary Scholten (D)". Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Immigration attorney jumps into Democratic primary for 3rd Congressional District". mlive. July 8, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Rep. Hillary Scholten - D Michigan, 3rd, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Rod, Marc (August 3, 2020). "The race to succeed Rep. Justin Amash heats up". Jewish Insider.
  13. ↑ Boucher, Dave. "Peter Meijer defeats Hillary Scholten in west Michigan congressional race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  14. ↑ "MI District 5 Race – Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns.
  15. ↑ "Our Campaigns – MI District 03 Race – Nov 06, 2018".
  16. ↑ "Hillary Scholten jumping into Democratic primary to replace Rep. Peter Meijer in Congress". mlive. February 1, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Peter Meijer concedes to John Gibbs in Republican primary for 3rd Congressional District race". Michigan Radio. August 3, 2022.
  18. ↑ Nisa Khan; Emma Ruberg (February 14, 2022). "The changes to Michigan's congressional map, district by district". Michigan Radio.
  19. ↑ Nir, David (November 14, 2022). "Daily Kos presidential results by congressional district". Daily Kos.
  20. ↑ Nir, David (November 19, 2020). "Presidential election results by congressional district". Daily Kos.
  21. ↑ "Scholten defeats Gibbs for Grand Rapids Congress seat". Freep.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  22. ↑ "An Early Alarm Bell For the G.O.P.", TIME, March 4, 1974
  23. ↑ "Muskegon federal representation". VoteView. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Grand Haven federal representation". VoteView. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ Booth-Singleton, DeJanay (November 6, 2024). "Rep. Hillary Scholten wins re-election in Michigan's 3rd District, CBS News projects - CBS Detroit". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  26. ↑ Mcvicar, Brian (August 13, 2026). "Familiar face, uphill race: Terri DeBoer faces difficult path against Hillary Scholten". mlive. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  27. ↑ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601. "Hillary J. Scholten (Michigan (MI)), 119th Congress Profile". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 6, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ Detroit News (July 11, 2024). "Democratic Michigan congresswoman joins calls for Biden to 'step aside' as nominee".
  29. ↑ Politico (July 18, 2024). "Biden allies retaliated against a Dem who called for him to step aside".
  30. ↑ Schmidt, Rose (March 4, 2025). "Here's why some Democrats wore pink during Trump's speech to Congress". NBC Chicago. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Why did Democrat congresswomen wear pink for Donald Trump's address?". India Today. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Hillary Scholten. January 3, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Caucus Members". Black Maternal Health Caucus. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  34. ↑ "About the CEC". CEC. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  35. ↑ McVicar, Brian; Frick, Melissa (November 9, 2022). "Hillary Scholten defeats Trump-backed John Gibbs for West Michigan congressional seat". mlive. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  36. ↑ Rashid, Hafiz (January 22, 2025). "The 46 Democrats Who Voted for Republicans' Racist Immigration Bill". The New Republic. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Democrats join global outcry over humanitarian crisis in Gaza". Politico. July 26, 2025.
  38. ↑ Valdez, Jonah (July 27, 2026). "Abdul El-Sayed Faces Islamophobic Attacks From GOP and Democratic Establishment". The Intercept. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  39. ↑ Mauger, Craig (August 25, 2026). "Hillary Scholten says she still has questions for Abdul El-Sayed". The Detroit News. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Congresswoman Scholten Statement on Threatening Letter She Received at Grand Rapids Office". Office of Congresswoman Hillary Scholten. October 16, 2026. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  41. 1 2 Booth-Singleton, DeJanay (October 16, 2026). "Rep. Hillary Scholten says threatening letter with "white powder" sent to Grand Rapids office". CBS News. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (@RepScholten) on X". X.com. April 3, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  43. ↑ Rani, Rikha Sharma (August 3, 2020). "Could These Evangelical Democrats Change the Party?". POLITICO. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  44. ↑ "2020 Michigan Election Results Official". Michigan Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  45. ↑ "2022 Michigan Election Results - General". Michigan Secretary of State. November 28, 2022. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  46. ↑ "2024 Michigan Election Results - General". Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved January 10, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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