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Kristen McDonald Rivet

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Kristen McDonald Rivet
Official House portrait of McDonald Rivet smiling in front of the U.S. flag, wearing a black jacket, red shirt, and pearl necklace.
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2025
Preceded byDan Kildee
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 35th district
In office
January 1, 2023 – January 3, 2025
Preceded byCurt VanderWall
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born
Kristen Lee McDonald

(1970-07-11) July 11, 1970 (age 55)
Portland, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJoseph Rivet
Children6
RelativesKaren McDonald (sister)
EducationMichigan State University (BA)
University of Michigan, Flint (MA)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Kristen Lee McDonald Rivet[1] (/ˈrɪvɪt/; born July 11, 1970) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Michigan Senate for the 35th district, where she was the assistant majority floor leader from 2023 to 2025. Her district, located in Central Michigan, includes Flint and the Tri-Cities metropolitan area of Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City.

Early life and education

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McDonald Rivet was born on July 11, 1970, in Portland, Michigan,[2] where she was raised with her fraternal twin sister, Karen McDonald, and an older sister.[3] Her father was a construction worker, while her mother stayed home to raise the children.[4]

She went to Portland High School[5] and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Michigan State University in 1992. She later earned a master's degree in public administration and education from the University of Michigan–Flint in 2010.[4]

Career

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Before entering politics, McDonald Rivet served as the executive director of Michigan Head Start.[6] She later worked in the Michigan department of human services[5] and as the chief of staff for State Superintendent Michael P. Flanagan.[6]

She went on to become the vice president of the Skillman Foundation[6] and later served as president and chief executive officer of Greater Midlands Inc.[7] She also held leadership roles at the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance and Michigan Future Inc.[7]

McDonald Rivet's first elected position was as a member of the Charter Commission for Bay City, Michigan.[8] She was subsequently elected to the Bay City Commission, representing the city's 2nd ward.[9]

Michigan Senate

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McDonald Rivet was elected to the Michigan Senate in November 2022, defeating Republican state Representative Annette Glenn.[10][11] She represented the state's 35th district and was the assistant majority floor leader.[2] She served on multiple committees, including the appropriations, economic and community development, education, energy and environment committees, and several budget subcommittees.[2]

While in the state senate, McDonald Rivet sponsored legislation that expanded the state's Working Families Tax Credit from six percent to thirty percent of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit for 700,000 households.[12] She subsequently introduced the Child Care for All legislative package to expand access to affordable child care in the state.[13]

Earlier in her tenure, she sponsored and helped pass legislation requiring the safe storage of firearms,[6] part of a broader legislative package in response to the 2021 Oxford High School and 2023 Michigan State University mass shootings.[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2024

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See also: 2024 Michigan's 8th congressional district election
Michigan's 8th district, since 2023

In January 2024, McDonald Rivet declared her candidacy to run for the United States House of Representatives for Michigan's 8th congressional district to replace the retiring Dan Kildee in the 2024 Democratic primary.[15] She campaigned on economic security and family-focused issues,[16] won the Democratic primary, and defeated Republican Paul Junge in the general election.[17] Although Donald Trump carried the district by two points in the presidential race, McDonald Rivet won by nearly seven points.[16]

Tenure

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McDonald Rivet took office on January 3, 2025, representing Michigan’s 8th congressional district.[7] She was appointed to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,[18] and was selected as the Freshman Leadership Representative for the New Democrat Coalition.[7]

As a member of the Agriculture Committee, she co-sponsored the bipartisan Foreign Agricultural Restrictions to Maintain Local Agriculture and National Defense (FARMLAND) Act, which was designed to expand the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review foreign purchases of U.S. farmland, particularly those involving entities connected to China.[19] She also introduced the Susan Muffley Act of 2025 to restore pension benefits to 21,000 salaried retirees from Delphi, an auto parts supplier with former operations in Saginaw, Michigan, which went bankrupt during the 2008 financial crisis.[20][21]

In 2025, McDonald Rivet was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.[22]

Committee assignments

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For the 119th Congress:[23]

Personal life

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Kristen is married to Joseph Rivet, a former politician.[1] They have six children and live in Bay City, Michigan.[2] She is Catholic.[24]

Electoral history

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Michigan's 8th congressional district, 2024[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kristen McDonald Rivet 217,490 51.3
Republican Paul Junge 189,317 44.6
Working Class Kathy Goodwin 8,492 2.0
Libertarian Steve Barcelo 4,768 1.1
Constitution James Allen Little 2,681 0.6
Green Jim Casha 1,602 0.4
Total votes 424,350 100.0
Democratic hold
Michigan's 35th state Senate District General Election, 2022[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kristen McDonald Rivet 62,105 53.4
Republican Annette Glenn 54,246 46.6
Total votes 116,351 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ a b "Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet - D Michigan, 8th - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Michigan Legislative Biography - Kristen McDonald Rivet". Library of Michigan. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "Obituary: Kathryn Anita McDonald". Dignity Memorial. 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Chalk, Dan (September 30, 2022). "McDonald Rivet, Glenn share views in 35th State Senate District race". Midland Daily News. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "McDonald Rivet, Kristen". Bibliography Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Pasciolla, Isabelle (January 3, 2024). "Michigan Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet joins competitive race for 8th U.S. Congressional District". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Fonger, Ron (January 12, 2025). "Taking the oath as new member of Congress left McDonald Rivet 'awestruck'". Mlive.
  8. ^ Dodson, Andrew (November 13, 2017). "Here are the elected members of the Bay City Charter Commission". mlive. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ^ "Michigan Legislature is up for grabs: These are races to watch on Election Day | Bridge Michigan". www.bridgemi.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Chalk, Dan (November 9, 2022). "McDonald Rivet defeats Glenn for 35th District state senate seat". Midland Daily News. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "Kristen McDonald Rivet". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Pasciolla, Isabelle (March 7, 2023). "Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs Lowering MI Costs plan into law". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  13. ^ Pasciolla, Isabelle (April 18, 2024). "McDonald Rivet, other legislators introduce 'Child Care for All'". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  14. ^ Foody, Kathleen (February 22, 2024). "A Michigan toddler's shooting highlights new gun storage law and other states' strategies". Associated Press.
  15. ^ Pasciolla, Isabelle (January 4, 2024). "Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet celebrates Congressional run announcement; receives union endorsement". Midland Daily News. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Burke, Melissa Nann. "First-term Michigan congresswoman exploring Senate run after Buttigieg passes". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  17. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 6, 2024). "McDonald Rivet wins Michigan's 8th Congressional District race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  18. ^ "Kristen McDonald Rivet (Michigan (MI)), 119th Congress Profile". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  19. ^ "U.S Reps. McDonald Rivet, Feenstra introduce bill to protect farmland from national security risks". Midland News. March 9, 2025. Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  20. ^ Mose, Hannah (February 27, 2025). "McDonald Rivet introduces bill to restore pensions of Delphi salaried retirees". WNEM 5.
  21. ^ Barber, Barrie (January 20, 2010). "Delphi sells brake plant in Saginaw, TRW to remain tenant". Mlive.
  22. ^ Rashid, Hafiz (January 22, 2025). "The 46 Democrats Who Voted for Republicans' Racist Immigration Bill". The New Republic. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  23. ^ McDonald Rivet Appointed to Agriculture and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees
  24. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of the 119th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  25. ^ "2024 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. November 22, 2024. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  26. ^ "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. January 6, 2025. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 8th congressional district
2025–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
409th 		Succeeded by
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