Summary
Current Position: US Representative of MI 3rd District since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
District: greater Grand Rapids and Muskegon areas, including portions of Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties. Redistricting removed Barry, Calhoun, and Ionia counties.
Upcoming Election:
Scholten was a judicial law clerk and attorney adviser for the Board of Immigration Appeals from 2013 to 2017. When the Obama administration ended, she moved back to Grand Rapids and became a staff attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
OnAir Post: Hillary Scholten MI-03
News
About
Source: Government site
Congresswoman Hillary J. Scholten is honored to serve the people of Michigan’s Third Congressional District, a diverse district that is anchored by the urban centers of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Grand Haven, and includes suburbs, farmland, and miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
Congresswoman Scholten is a fourth-generation West Michigander, a mom, a Christian, and an attorney who proudly served in the U.S. Department of Justice. Her great-great-grandparents emigrated to the United States to find opportunity in West Michigan. Ever since, her parents, grandparents, and extended family have put down deep roots in this community—committed not only to building a better life for themselves and their families, but devoted to creating a better community for all.
A foundation of faith has motivated Congresswoman Scholten’s career in public service and her desire to continue to serve West Michigan in Congress. Inspired by her mother, a dedicated community servant who spent most of her career as a public school teacher at a high-poverty elementary school, Congresswoman Scholten began her own career as a social worker. She worked with people affected by issues of housing and homelessness. During this time, she worked with individuals in the LGBTQ community who were facing homelessness and housing insecurity—often because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In the early part of her career, she gained insight and expertise into how systems work and far too often don’t for those on the margins in society.
Congresswoman Scholten obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and then went on to clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in their special unit focused on immigration issues. Following her clerkship, she joined the Justice Department through the Attorney General Honors Program, where she continued to work on matters of immigration and civil rights.
Congresswoman Scholten now serves as the first woman and mother ever to represent Michigan’s Third District in Congress. Bringing new voices to the table is key to making sure our representation is equitable and reflective of the district. She’s building one of the most diverse teams to ever serve West Michigan, both in Washington, D.C., and at home in the district. Service is at the heart of what drives Congresswoman Scholten’s mission to deliver for the district every single day. She’s focused on providing responsive, effective, down-to-earth, accessible representation that meets the practical needs of the district. This includes securing critical infrastructure investments and eliminating transportation barriers in isolated communities, supporting our small business community, improving K-12 education and higher education, and fighting for West Michiganders’ fundamental rights at the federal level.
West Michigan is Congresswoman Scholten’s home. She and her husband, Jesse, are raising their two boys and the family dog, Smoky, on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. You’ll often find her on the sidelines at her kids’ sporting events, walking Smoky, or in line at the grocery store. At the end of the day, Representative Scholten is committed to rolling up her sleeves and getting to work on the issues that matter to working families across the district, because they matter to her and her family, too—that’s what representation is all about.
Personal
Full Name: Hillary Scholten
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: Jesse; 2 Children: James, Wesley
Birth Place: MI
Home City: Grand Rapids, MI
Religion: Christian
Source: Vote Smart
Education
JD, Francis King Carey School of Law, University of Maryland, 2008-2012
BA, Gordon College, 2000-2004
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Michigan, District 3, 2023-Present
Professional Experience
Member, Committee on Small Business
Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Member, Subcommittee on Aviation
Member, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure
Member, Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Business Development
Member, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Offices
Washington DC Office
1317 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 225-3831
Grand Rapids District Office
110 Michigan Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503Phone: (616) 451-8383
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
Committees
Representative Hillary Scholten serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Small Business.
The Congresswoman serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees on Aviation, Water Resources and Environment, and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Additionally, she serves on the Small Business subcommittees on Contracting and Infrastructure, and Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains.
The Congresswoman serves as the Vice-Ranking Member on the Coast Guard Subcommittee and the Ranking Member on the Contracting and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Congresswoman Scholten is also part of the Equality Caucus, the Problem Solvers Caucus, the Heartland Caucus, and the Black Maternal Health Caucus. She serves on the Great Lakes Task Force, the PFAS Task Force, and is a part of the New Democratic Coalition.
New Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Scholten.
Issues
Source: Government page
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Michigan’s 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in West Michigan. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of the counties of Barry and Ionia, as well as all except the northwestern portion of Kent, including the city of Grand Rapids. In 2012 redistricting, the district was extended to Battle Creek. In 2022, the district was condensed to the greater Grand Rapids and Muskegon areas, including portions of Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties. Redistricting removed Barry, Calhoun, and Ionia counties.[5]
The district is currently represented by Hillary Scholten, a member of the Democratic Party.
Wikipedia
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 the first woman to represent the district and the first Democrat to represent Grand Rapids in Congress since the 1970s.[3] Before her election, Scholten worked as an attorney for the Department of Justice and in private practice. Her district, which was once represented by former President Gerald Ford, is based in Grand Rapids and much of the urban core of West Michigan.[4]
Early life and education
Scholten was born on February 22, 1982, in Michigan.[5] She grew up in Hudsonville, a suburb of Grand Rapids. Her mother worked as a public school teacher and her father was a sports journalist for The Grand Rapids Press.[6] Her great-great-grandparents emigrated to West Michigan from the Netherlands; and her parents raised her in the Christian Reformed Church, a Calvinist denomination having its roots in the Dutch Reformed Church.[7][8]
Scholten went to Unity Christian High School and then attended Gordon College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004.[5] After college, she worked as a social worker, focusing on housing advocacy for the AIDS Action Committee.[6] She later did immigration work for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.[6] She went on to earn a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2011.[5]
Legal career
Following law school, Scholten clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, specializing in immigration law.[6] 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.[9] Afterwards, she went back to Michigan and became a staff attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and later worked in private practice.[6][10]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020
In July 2019, Scholten announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan’s 3rd congressional district in the 2020 elections.[6] She was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.[11] She lost the general election to Republican nominee Peter Meijer,[12] but came 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.[13] It was also only the second time since 1982 that a Democrat had received 40% of the vote; the Democratic nominee received 43% two years earlier.[14]
2022
Scholten ran again in the 2022 elections.[15] She 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.[16]
Scholten was running in a district that had been made much friendlier to Democrats in redistricting; it had been pushed to the west to grab a large portion of the Lake Michigan shoreline, including Muskegon and Grand Haven.[17] Had it existed in 2020, Joe Biden would have won it with 53% of the vote;[18] Donald Trump carried the old 3rd with 51%.[19] Scholten defeated Gibbs 55% to 42% to win election to the 118th United States Congress.[20]
2024
Scholten ran again in the 2024 election. 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 a Republican opponent.[21]
Tenure
Scholten was sworn into office on January 7, 2023.[22] 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.[23][24] During Donald Trump’s address to Congress on March 4th, 2025, Scholten wore pink, together with many other members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, as a protest.[25][26]
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In the 119th Congress, Scholten was part of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.[27]
Caucus memberships
Political positions
Scholten supports abortion rights.[29]
In 2025, Scholten was one of 46 House Democrats who joined Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.[30]
Personal life
Scholten is married to Jesse Holcomb, a journalism professor at Calvin University, a Reformed Christian institute. They have two sons.[6] She is a member of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, where she serves as a deacon.[31]
Electoral history
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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
- ^ “Candidate Conversation: Hillary Scholten (D)”. Inside Elections.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Beggin, Riley. “Scholten defeats Gibbs in west Michigan U.S. House race”. The Detroit News. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Saksa, Jim (September 14, 2023). “For Hillary Scholten, faith (and Jerry Ford) led the way to Congress”. Roll Call. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ a b c “Scholten, Hillary”. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Staff, T. W. N. “MI-03: Hillary Scholten (D)”. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ “Immigration attorney jumps into Democratic primary for 3rd Congressional District”. mlive. July 8, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ “Rep. Hillary Scholten – D Michigan, 3rd, In Office – Biography | LegiStorm”. www.legistorm.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ Rod, Marc (August 3, 2020). “The race to succeed Rep. Justin Amash heats up”. Jewish Insider.
- ^ Boucher, Dave. “Peter Meijer defeats Hillary Scholten in west Michigan congressional race”. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ “MI District 5 Race – Nov 02, 1982”. Our Campaigns.
- ^ “Our Campaigns – MI District 03 Race – Nov 06, 2018”.
- ^ “Hillary Scholten jumping into Democratic primary to replace Rep. Peter Meijer in Congress”. mlive. February 1, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ “Peter Meijer concedes to John Gibbs in Republican primary for 3rd Congressional District race”. Michigan Radio. August 3, 2022.
- ^ Nisa Khan; Emma Ruberg (February 14, 2022). “The changes to Michigan’s congressional map, district by district”. Michigan Radio.
- ^ Nir, David (November 14, 2022). “Daily Kos presidential results by congressional district”. Daily Kos.
- ^ Nir, David (November 19, 2020). “Presidential election results by congressional district”. Daily Kos.
- ^ “Scholten defeats Gibbs for Grand Rapids Congress seat”. Freep.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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) - ^ Detroit News (July 11, 2024). “Democratic Michigan congresswoman joins calls for Biden to ‘step aside’ as nominee”.
- ^ Politico (July 18, 2024). “Biden allies retaliated against a Dem who called for him to step aside”.
- ^ Schmidt, Rose (March 4, 2025). “Here’s why some Democrats wore pink during Trump’s speech to Congress”. NBC Chicago. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “Why did Democrat congresswomen wear pink for Donald Trump’s address?”. India Today. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “Committees and Caucuses”. Representative Hillary Scholten. January 3, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ “Caucus Members”. Black Maternal Health Caucus. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ McVicar, Brian; Frick, Melissa (November 9, 2022). “Hillary Scholten defeats Trump-backed John Gibbs for West Michigan congressional seat”. mlive. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Rashid, Hafiz (January 22, 2025). “The 46 Democrats Who Voted for Republicans’ Racist Immigration Bill”. The New Republic. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Rani, Rikha Sharma (August 3, 2020). “Could These Evangelical Democrats Change the Party?”. POLITICO. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ “2020 Michigan Election Results Official”. Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ “2022 Michigan Election Results – General”. Michigan Secretary of State. November 28, 2022. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ “2024 Michigan Election Results – General”. Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Congresswoman Hillary Scholten official U.S. House website
- Hillary Scholten for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
