Hillary Scholten | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Meijer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hillary Jeanne Scholten (1982-02-22)February 22, 1982 (age 43) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jesse Holcomb |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Website | House 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 theU.S. representative fromMichigan's 3rd congressional district since 2023. She is the first woman to represent the district and the firstDemocrat to representGrand Rapids inCongress since the 1970s.[3] Before her election, Scholten worked as an attorney for theDepartment of Justice and in private practice. Her district, which was once represented by former PresidentGerald Ford, is based in Grand Rapids and much of the urban core ofWest Michigan.[4]
Scholten was born on February 22, 1982, inMichigan.[5] She grew up inHudsonville, a suburb ofGrand Rapids. Her mother worked as a public school teacher and her father was a sports journalist forThe Grand Rapids Press.[6] Her great-great-grandparents emigrated toWest Michigan from theNetherlands; and her parents raised her in theChristian Reformed Church, aCalvinist denomination having its roots in theDutch Reformed Church.[7][8]
Scholten went toUnity Christian High School and then attendedGordon College, where she earned aBachelor of Arts in 2004.[5] After college, she worked as asocial worker, focusing on housing advocacy for theAIDS Action Committee.[6] She later did immigration work forCatholic Charities of theArchdiocese of Washington.[6] She went on to earn aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Maryland School of Law in 2011.[5]
Following law school, Scholten clerked for theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, specializing inimmigration law.[6] She later joined theU.S. Department of Justice as an attorney adviser for theBoard of Immigration Appeals from 2013 to 2017, where she worked on federal immigration policy during theObama 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]
In July 2019, Scholten announced her candidacy for theUnited States House of Representatives inMichigan's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 elections.[6] She was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.[11] She lost the general election toRepublican nomineePeter Meijer,[12] but came the closest a Democrat had come to winning the district since 1982, when incumbent RepublicanHarold 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]
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 officialJohn 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, includingMuskegon andGrand 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 the118th United States Congress.[20]
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]
Scholten was sworn into office on January 7, 2023.[22] She joined in the calls in 2024 for Joe Biden tostep 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 4, 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 the119th Congress, Scholten was part of theCommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and theCommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.[27]
Scholten supportsabortion rights.[30]
In 2025, Scholten was one of 46 House Democrats who joined Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act.[31]
Scholten is considered a strong supporter ofIsrael and has refused to join calls for a ceasefire in response to allegedwar crimes as part of Israel's ongoing occupation anddestruction of the Gaza Strip.[32] In July 2025, Scholten placed blame entirely onHamas for thehumanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, stating, "Hamas started this war and can end it today. But they choose not to."[33] Israeli human rights organizations likeB'Tselem disagree with this assessment, writing that the current conflict "must be understood in the context of more than seventy years in which Israel has imposed a violent and discriminatory regime on the Palestinians, taking its most extreme form against those living in the Gaza Strip."[34]
Scholten is married to Jesse Holcomb, a journalism professor atCalvin University, aReformed Christian institute. They have two sons.[6] She is a member of LaGrave AvenueChristian Reformed Church, where she serves as adeacon.[35]
| 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 | ||
| Republicangain fromLibertarian | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 3rd congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 353rd | Succeeded by |
