--- title: "Scholten vs. DeBoer: 2026 Michigan’s 3rd District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-mi-03" updated: "2026-08-05" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Michigan’s 3rd District race: Hillary Scholten (D) vs. Terri DeBoer (R) Rating: Likely D · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: August 5, 2026 Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten faces Republican meteorologist Terri DeBoer in the general election for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District on November 3, 2026. The matchup highlights major contrasts on healthcare access, inflation remedies, energy policy, and education reform. ## Candidates - **Hillary Scholten** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Hillary_Scholten) - **Terri DeBoer** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Terri_DeBoer) ## Issues ### Economy and Cost of Living Salience: high Scholten emphasizes targeted government investments, lowered prescription prices, and labor protections, whereas DeBoer advocates cutting taxes, slashing federal spending, and reducing regulations. **Hillary Scholten:** Supports middle-class investments and cost reductions Scholten advocates for lowering household expenses by capping prescription drug costs and investing in Michigan manufacturing, such as semiconductor production. She supports fair wages, collective bargaining rights, small business recovery, and infrastructure investments to spur job creation. - Promotes investments in Michigan semiconductor manufacturing and small business recovery. - Supports capping prescription drug costs and protecting collective bargaining rights. - Voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) and the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023. > “We can – and we must – continue fighting to create well-paying jobs with good benefits in West Michigan.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** Supports tax cuts and deregulation DeBoer emphasizes fighting inflation by cutting federal taxes and reducing government spending. She supports removing regulatory burdens on small businesses, encouraging market competition, and enabling workers to retain more of their wages. - Proposes tax cuts and federal spending reductions to combat inflation. - Advocates eliminating burdensome regulations to spur small business growth. - Focuses on promoting worker wage growth and educational freedom. > “Cut taxes and reduce government spending to fight inflation.” > — Terri DeBoer, via [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) ### Healthcare Salience: high Scholten seeks to expand the Affordable Care Act and introduce a public option, while DeBoer favors market-driven reforms like Direct Primary Care and Health Savings Accounts. **Hillary Scholten:** Supports expanding the ACA and public options Scholten supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act and creating a public option like Medicare for all Americans who want it. She prioritizes lowering prescription drug prices, capping insulin costs, and preserving coverage protections for pre-existing conditions. - Defends the Affordable Care Act and supports creating a Medicare-like public option. - Supports price caps on critical prescription drugs and insulin. - Opposes insurance rate increases or coverage denials for pre-existing conditions. > “In Congress, I am hard at work to find common-sense solutions to bring down the costs of healthcare and lower the cost of prescription drugs.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** Supports market competition and patient choice DeBoer advocates for market-driven solutions to lower healthcare costs and expand patient choice. She supports Direct Primary Care, Health Savings Accounts, and price transparency while ensuring doctors and patients remain in charge of medical decisions. - Supports Direct Primary Care models and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). - Advocates for healthcare price transparency to increase market competition. - Opposes bureaucrat or insurance company interference in doctor-patient decisions. > “Put patients and doctors—not insurance companies or bureaucrats—in charge of healthcare decisions.” > — Terri DeBoer, via [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) ### Energy and Environment Salience: medium Scholten emphasizes renewable energy tax credits and Great Lakes environmental protections, whereas DeBoer promotes an all-of-the-above strategy focused on nuclear energy expansion and opposing utility mandates. **Hillary Scholten:** Supports renewable energy and Great Lakes protection Scholten supports investing in clean energy through tax credits for renewable energy innovations to combat climate change and lower energy costs. She prioritizes protecting Michigan's Great Lakes and safeguarding local drinking water from PFAS and other toxic chemicals. - Supports tax credits for renewable energy innovation to build a new energy economy. - Prioritizes protecting drinking water from PFAS and maintaining Great Lakes funding. - Voted Nay on the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1). > “Being good stewards of the environment means both creating jobs and keeping our state – and our families – safe from dangerous pollution.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** Supports all-of-the-above energy and nuclear power DeBoer advocates for an all-of-the-above energy strategy centered on expanding clean nuclear power and modernizing the electric grid. She opposes energy mandates that raise utility bills for families while balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship. - Supports expanding clean, dependable nuclear energy production. - Opposes energy mandates that increase household utility bills. - Advocates modernizing and strengthening America's power grid. > “Support an all-of-the-above energy strategy to keep energy affordable and reliable.” > — Terri DeBoer, via [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) ### Border Security and Immigration Salience: medium Scholten combines specific bipartisan enforcement votes with calls for legal system reform, while DeBoer focuses strictly on border security, criminal deportations, and asylum restrictions. **Hillary Scholten:** Supports targeted enforcement and systemic reform Scholten, a former Department of Justice immigration attorney, supports reforming the federal immigration system. She has voted for targeted law enforcement measures, including mandatory detention for non-citizens arrested for theft and deportation rules for DUI offenses. - Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act (S. 5) to detain non-citizens arrested for burglary or theft. - Voted Yea on H.R. 875 to make driving under the influence grounds for deportation or inadmissibility. - Supports systemic reform drawing on her background as a DOJ immigration staff attorney. > “Fixing our broken immigration system” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Hillary_Scholten) **Terri DeBoer:** Supports strict border enforcement and asylum reform DeBoer prioritizes securing the southern border, enforcing federal immigration laws, and stopping human exploitation. She supports removing non-citizens who commit crimes and reforming the asylum system to restore order and fairness. - Calls for securing the border and strictly enforcing federal immigration laws. - Supports removing dangerous criminal non-citizens from the country. - Proposes reforming the asylum process to restore order. > “Secure the border and enforce immigration laws.” > — Terri DeBoer, via [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) ### Education Salience: medium Scholten focuses on increasing funding for public schools and career technical education, while DeBoer emphasizes educational freedom and school choice. **Hillary Scholten:** Supports public school funding and trade training Scholten focuses on strengthening public schools, supporting fair teacher compensation, and expanding job training and skilled trades programs. She opposes diverting public education funds to for-profit institutions. - Endorsed by the Michigan Education Association and National Education Association. - Opposes diverting resources from public schools to for-profit schools. - Supports expanding job training, apprenticeships, and vocational trade programs. > “I will never stop working to strengthen Michigan public schools to make sure our students are prepared and ready to engage in a 21st-century economy.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** Supports educational freedom DeBoer emphasizes preparing students through educational freedom policies and learning focused on critical thinking. - Affiliated with the Education Freedom Fund. - Advocates for educational freedom to prepare future generations. > “Prepare the next generation through educational freedom and critical-thinking focused learning.” > — Terri DeBoer, via [Campaign site](https://terrideboerforcongress.com/) ### Reproductive Rights Salience: medium **Hillary Scholten:** Supports federal abortion rights protections Scholten strongly advocates for protecting abortion access and reproductive freedom at the federal level following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She views reproductive healthcare choices as fundamental matters of privacy and bodily autonomy. - Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund. - Pledges to protect a woman's right to choose healthcare decisions without government interference. > “I will always protect a woman’s right to choose.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** No documented position in our sources ### Social Security and Medicare Salience: low **Hillary Scholten:** Opposes safety net cuts or privatization Scholten opposes raising the retirement age, cutting benefits, or privatizing Social Security and Medicare. She supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and eliminating program waste, fraud, and abuse. - Opposes privatizing Social Security or raising the retirement age. - Supports empowering Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. > “I oppose efforts to raise the retirement age, or to cut or privatize our social safety net.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** No documented position in our sources ### Gun Safety Salience: low **Hillary Scholten:** Supports common-sense gun safety reforms Scholten advocates for federal common-sense gun safety legislation, including universal background checks, safe storage requirements, and red flag laws. - Recognized as a Gun Sense Candidate by Moms Demand Action. - Supports universal background checks, safe storage laws, and red flag laws. > “I’m proud to have been recognized by Moms Demand Action as a Gun Sense Candidate for my commitment to common-sense gun safety reforms like universal background checks, safe gun storage laws, and red flag laws.” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** No documented position in our sources ### Voting Rights and Democracy Salience: low **Hillary Scholten:** Supports federal voting protections Scholten advocates for federal legislation to protect voting rights, expand early voting, ban partisan gerrymandering, and secure election integrity. She voted against the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration. - Voted Nay on the SAVE Act (H.R. 22). - Supports federal legislation to expand mail-in and early voting while ending partisan gerrymandering. > “It has never been of greater consequence that we stand up against these attacks by passing federal legislation to secure our democracy and defend the right to vote” > — Hillary Scholten, via [Campaign site](https://hillaryscholten.com/) **Terri DeBoer:** No documented position in our sources ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/mi-03-house-election-winner) — MI-03 House Election Winner: Democrats 95.7%, Republicans 3.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/HOUSEMI3-26) — MI-03 House winner?: Hillary Scholten 96.2%, Terri DeBoer 3.8% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXMIPRIMARY-03R26) — MI-03 Republican nominee?: Terri DeBoer 99.0%, Ryan Cushman 1.0% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-mi-03)