Kristen McDonald Rivet

A Champion for Michigan families

Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet is currently serving her first term representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. Raised in a small town in Michigan by her father, who was a construction worker, and her stay-at-home mom, Rep. McDonald Rivet was taught early on the value of hard work, education, and service to others. She watched her father work long hours to provide for his family, learning early on that anybody who works hard should be able to achieve the American Dream. Rep. McDonald Rivet’s upbringing motivated her to help families in her community thrive by providing affordable childcare and advancing better educational outcomes for kids. With extensive experience as executive director of Michigan Head Start, chief of staff for Michigan’s Department of Education, and as a vice president at The Skillman Foundation, Rep. McDonald Rivet was instrumental in improving child care and education outcomes for children, revitalizing communities and creating public policy that helped level the playing field for marginalized communities. As a state senator, she successfully led the initiative to pass the largest tax cut for working families in Michigan’s history. Rep. McDonald Rivet resides in Bay City with her husband, Joseph. They have six children. 

Fighting for Michiganders

In Congress, Rep. McDonald Rivet serves on the Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Shortly after being sworn in to Congress this year, Rep. McDonald Rivet voted against extreme GOP bills to limit reproductive freedom and gut health care, and she is working with both parties on bills to lower key costs, like child care and prescription drugs. She was also elected by her peers to serve as the freshman leadership representative to the New Democratic Coalition. 

Rep. McDonald Rivet served in the Michigan Senate from 2022 until her election to Congress, and was the first Democrat in over a decade and the first woman ever to represent the Great Lakes Bay Region. As a state Senator, she was incredibly effective. She passed the largest tax cut for working families in Michigan’s history, repealed the state’s burdensome retirement tax, and introduced plans to lower costs burdening working families. She has spent her career delivering for Mid-Michigan, and her focus on real results and pocketbook issues drove her important win in 2024.. 

A must-win keep it blue fight 

Rep. McDonald Rivet is seeking reelection to Michigan’s 8th Congressional District – a district highly targeted by Republicans. This seat is a must-win seat in order for Democrats to regain control of the U.S. House in 2026. EMILYs List is confident in her ability to continue the fight against extremists in Washington and continue her work on behalf of working families in Michigan.