Michigan's 3rd congressional district

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]

Michigan's 3rd congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Hillary Scholten D–Grand Rapids
Distribution	68.54% urban[1] 31.46% rural
Population (2023)	771,917[2]
Median household income	$75,170[3]
Ethnicity	70.1% White 11.1% Black 10.7% Hispanic 4.4% Two or more races 3.0% Asian 0.7% other
Cook PVI	D+1[4]

The district is currently represented by Hillary Scholten, a member of the Democratic Party.

Composition

#	County	Seat	Population
81	Kent	Grand Rapids	661,354
121	Muskegon	Muskegon	176,564
139	Ottawa	Grand Haven	303,372

Cities and townships of 10,000 or more people

• Grand Rapids – 198,893
• Wyoming – 76,501
• Kentwood – 54,304
• Georgetown Township – 54,091
• Muskegon – 38,318
• Plainfield Township – 33,535
  • Northview (part) – 15,301
  • Comstock Park (part) – 10,500
• Gaines Township – 28,812
  • Cutlerville (part) – 17,849
• Byron Township – 26,927
  • Cutlerville (part) – 17,849
  • Byron Center – 7,431
• Allendale Charter Township – 26,583
  • Allendale (CDP) – 27,073
• Walker – 25,132
• Norton Shores – 25,030
• Cascade Township – 19,667
  • Forest Hills (part) – 28,573
• Grand Rapids Charter Township – 18,905
  • Northview (part) – 15,301
• Grand Haven Charter Township – 18,004
• Muskegon Township – 17,596
• Grandville – 16,083
• Spring Lake Township – 15,296
• Fruitport Charter Township – 14,575
• Ada Township – 14,388
  • Forest Hills (part) – 28,573
• Cannon Township – 14,379
• Alpine Township – 14,079
  • Comstock Park (part) – 10,500
• East Grand Rapids – 11,371
• Grand Haven – 11,011

2,500 – 10,000 people

• Muskegon Heights – 9,917
• Tallmadge Township – 8.802
• Laketon Township – 7,626
• Robinson Township – 6,382
• Rockford – 6,177
• Coopersville – 4,826
• Crockery Township – 4,572
• Roosevelt Park – 4,172
• North Muskegon – 4,093
• Wright Township – 3,190
• Ravenna Township – 2,962
• Ferrysburg – 2,952
• Polkton Township – 2,565
• Sullivan Township – 2,541

Presidential election results

This table indicates how the district has voted in U.S. presidential elections; election results reflect voting in the district as it was configured at the time of the election, not as it is configured today.

Year	Results
1992	George H.W. Bush 46% – Bill Clinton 34%
1996	Bob Dole 53% – Bill Clinton 39%
2000	George W. Bush 60% – Al Gore 38%
2004	George W. Bush 59% – John Kerry 40%
2008	John McCain 49% – Barack Obama 48%
2012	Mitt Romney 53% – Barack Obama 46%
2016	Donald Trump 52% – Hillary Clinton 42%
2020	Donald Trump 50% – Joe Biden 47%

Recent election results from statewide races

This table indicates how the district has voted in recent statewide elections; election results reflect voting in the district as it is currently configured, not necessarily as it was at the time of these elections.

Year	Office	Results
2018	Senate	Debbie Stabenow 50.6% – John James 47.2%
	Governor	Gretchen Whitmer 52.1% – Bill Schuette 44.9%
	Attorney General	Tom Leonard 47.8% – Dana Nessel 47.2%
2020	Senate	Gary Peters 50.2% – John James 47.9%[6]

History

Prior to 1993, the 3rd congressional district largely consisted of Calhoun and Eaton counties, about half of Lansing and surrounding Ingham County, and most of Kalamazoo County (including the city of Kalamazoo, but not Portage and the adjacent south-ward township). With the redistricting, the old 3rd district was split between the 6th and 7th congressional districts, with most of Lansing itself going to the 8th congressional district. Meanwhile, the new 3rd district became the Grand Rapids district, covering much of the territory which had previously constituted the 5th district from 1873 to 1993.

No Democrat had represented Grand Rapids in Congress since Richard Vander Veen from 1974 to 1977, prior to redistricting due to the 1990 census, which took effect in 1993 and moved Grand Rapids from the 5th to the 3rd congressional district. However, following the 2020 census, the 3rd district was redrawn once again,^[7] and in the 2022 midterm elections Democratic candidate Hillary Scholten was chosen to represent the district.^[8]

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1843
James B. Hunt (Pontiac)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	28th 29th	Elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1844. Retired.	1843–1853 [data missing]
Kinsley S. Bingham (Kensington)	Democratic	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851	30th 31st	Elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. Retired.
James L. Conger (Mount Clemens)	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1850. Retired.
Samuel Clark (Kalamazoo)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1852. Lost re-election.	1853–1863 [data missing]
David S. Walbridge (Kalamazoo)	Republican	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859	34th 35th	Elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired.
Francis William Kellogg (Grand Rapids)	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863	36th 37th	Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Redistricted to the 4th district.
John W. Longyear (Lansing)	Republican	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1867	38th 39th	Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Retired.	1863–1873 [data missing]
Austin Blair (Jackson)	Republican	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1873	40th 41st 42nd	Elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Retired to run for Governor of Michigan.
George Willard (Battle Creek)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1877	43rd 44th	Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Retired.	1873–1883 [data missing]
Jonas H. McGowan (Coldwater)	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	45th 46th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Retired.
Edward S. Lacey (Charlotte)	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1885	47th 48th	Elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Retired.
					1883–1893 [data missing]
James O'Donnell (Jackson)	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1893	49th 50th 51st 52nd	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 2nd district and lost re-election.
Julius C. Burrows (Kalamazoo)	Republican	March 4, 1893 – January 23, 1895	53rd 54th	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Resigned when elected U.S. Senator.	1893–1903 [data missing]
Vacant		January 23, 1895 – December 2, 1895
Alfred Milnes (Coldwater)	Republican	December 2, 1895 – March 3, 1897		Elected to finish Burrows's term. Lost re-election.
Albert M. Todd (Kalamazoo)	Democratic[9]	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. Lost re-election.
Washington Gardner (Albion)	Republican	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1911	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Lost renomination.
					1913–1933 [data missing]
John M. C. Smith (Charlotte)	Republican	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1921	62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th	Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Retired.
William H. Frankhauser (Hillsdale)	Republican	March 4, 1921 – May 9, 1921	67th	Elected in 1920. Died.
Vacant		May 9, 1921 – June 28, 1921
John M. C. Smith (Charlotte)	Republican	June 28, 1921 – March 30, 1923	67th 68th	Elected to finish Frankhauser's term. Re-elected in 1922. Died.
Vacant		March 30, 1923 – June 19, 1923	68th
Arthur B. Williams (Battle Creek)	Republican	June 19, 1923 – May 1, 1925	68th 69th	Elected to finish Smith's term. Re-elected in 1924. Died.
Vacant		May 1, 1925 – August 18, 1925	69th
Joseph L. Hooper (Battle Creek)	Republican	August 18, 1925 – February 22, 1934	69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd	Elected to finish Williams's term. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Died.
					1933–1943 [data missing]
Vacant		February 22, 1934 – January 3, 1935	73rd
Henry M. Kimball (Kalamazoo)	Republican	January 3, 1935 – October 19, 1935	74th	Elected in 1934. Died.
Vacant		October 19, 1935 – December 17, 1935
Verner Main (Battle Creek)	Republican	December 17, 1935 – January 3, 1937		Elected to finish Kimball's term. Lost renomination.
Paul W. Shafer (Battle Creek)	Republican	January 3, 1937 – August 17, 1954	75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd	Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Died.
					1943–1953 [data missing]
					1953–1963 [data missing]
Vacant		August 17, 1954 – January 3, 1955	83rd
August E. Johansen (Battle Creek)	Republican	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1965	84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Lost re-election.
					1963–1973 [data missing]
Paul H. Todd Jr. (Kalamazoo)	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967	89th	Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
Garry E. Brown (Schoolcraft)	Republican	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979	90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th	Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Lost re-election.
					1973–1983 [data missing]
Howard Wolpe (Lansing)	Democratic	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1993	96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd	Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Retired to run for Governor of Michigan.
					1983–1993 [data missing]
Paul B. Henry (Grand Rapids)	Republican	January 3, 1993 – July 31, 1993	103rd	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1992. Died.	1993–2003
Vacant		July 31, 1993 – December 7, 1993
Vern Ehlers (Grand Rapids)	Republican	December 7, 1993 – January 3, 2011	103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th	Elected to finish Henry's term. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired.
					2003–2013
Justin Amash (Cascade Township)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – July 4, 2019	112th 113th 114th 115th 116th	Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Retired.
					2013–2023
	Independent	July 4, 2019 – April 28, 2020
	Libertarian	April 28, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Peter Meijer (Grand Rapids)	Republican	January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023	117th	Elected in 2020. Lost renomination.
Hillary Scholten (Grand Rapids)	Democratic	January 3, 2023 – present	118th	Elected in 2022.	2023–present

Recent election results

2012

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2012^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Amash (incumbent)	171,675	52.6
	Democratic	Steve Pestka	144,108	44.2
	Libertarian	Bill Gelineau	10,498	3.2
	Independent	Steven Butler (write-in)	2	0.0
Total votes			326,283	100.0
	Republican hold

2014

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2014^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Amash (incumbent)	125,754	57.9
	Democratic	Bob Goodrich	84,720	39.0
	Green	Tonya Duncan	6,691	3.1
Total votes			217,165	100.0
	Republican hold

2016

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2016^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Amash (incumbent)	203,545	59.5
	Democratic	Douglas Smith	128,400	37.5
	Constitution	Ted Gerrard	10,420	3.0
Total votes			342,365	100.0
	Republican hold

2018

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2018^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Amash (incumbent)	169,107	54.4
	Democratic	Cathy Albro	134,185	43.2
	Constitution	Ted Gerrard	7,445	2.4
	Independent	Joe Farrington (write-in)	3	0.0
Total votes			310,740	100.0
	Republican hold

2020

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2020^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Peter Meijer	213,649	53.0
	Democratic	Hillary Scholten	189,769	47.0
	Independent	Richard Fuentes (write-in)	1	0.0
Total votes			403,419	100.0
	Republican gain from Libertarian

2022

Michigan's 3rd congressional district, 2022^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hillary Scholten	185,989	54.8
	Republican	John Gibbs	142,229	41.9
	Libertarian	Jamie Lewis	6,634	1.9
	Working Class	Louis Palus	4,136	1.2
Total votes			338,988	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also

• United States portal
• Michigan portal

• Michigan's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

Notes

1. MICHIGAN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS BY URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION AND LAND AREA
2. "My Congressional District".
3. "My Congressional District".
4. "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
5. "The changes to Michigan's congressional map, district by district". Michigan Radio. February 15, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
6. "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020". Daily Kos. November 14, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
7. "Final Maps".
8. "'I am so ready': Democrat Hillary Scholten wins 3rd Congressional District". November 9, 2022.
9. In 1896, Albert M. Todd and Ferdinand Brucker were elected on the "Democratic Peoples Union Silver" ticket, a union of elements from the Democratic Party and Populist Party. They were seated as part of the Democratic Party in Congress.
10. "2012 Michigan House Results". Politico.
11. "2014 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/04/2014".
12. "2016 Michigan Election Results - Official Results". Michigan Department of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
13. "Michigan Election Results 2018: Live Midterm Map by County & Analysis". Politico.
14. "2020 Michigan Election Results Official". Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
15. "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.

References

• Govtrack.us for the 3rd District – Lists current Senators and representative, and map showing district outline
• The Political graveyard: U.S. Representatives from Michigan, 1807–2003
• "U.S. Representatives 1837–2003" (PDF). legislature.mi.gov. Michigan Legislature. Michigan Manual 2003–2004
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

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