Paul Junge wins GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District

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Paul Junge won the GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, securing the Republican nomination. He will now move on in hopes of replacing retiring Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee.

Junge defeated Mary Draves and Anthony Hudson with 73%, when the race was called by the Associated Press.

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Rep. Dan Kildee is leaving Congress at the end of the current term

Junge, who twice ran unsuccessfully for the 8th Congressional District seat, served in the Department of Homeland Security during the administration of former President Donald Trump and was an investigative counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley.

He ran the 2024 campaign on fighting against inflation and the border crisis, citing the opioid epidemic for "devastating forgotten communities."

"Stopping the rising cost of goods and improving the economy for working families is a top priority to my campaign," Junge told the Midland Daily News. "Equally as important, I will fight to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and poisonous synthetic opioids across our southern border, which are devastating forgotten communities across our state and across our country."

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Draves, who runs an auto repair business with her husband, argued for energy independence and border safety during the campaign.

"The United States was energy independent when President Trump was in office, meaning we were a net exporter of energy. If we have enough energy here, we don’t have to rely on foreign sources for energy and then we can innovate and grow our businesses here," Draves told the Midland Daily News. "The number one thing we need to do is stop the influx of illegal immigrants coming into this country and the flow of fentanyl over our border. A strong America is a safe America and a prosperous America."

GOP Congressional candidate Mary Draves. (Draves campaign)

Hudson, a native of Texas and an Army veteran, was making his second bid to represent the 8th Congressional District and ran a campaign centered around border security and jobs.

"I am just the average, everyday American citizen that is upset with where our country is headed and wants to run for office so that we can make the positive change that is necessary," Hudson told the Midland Daily News. "I want to help in getting people to move back to the state of Michigan by bringing jobs to Michigan and be on the front lines of fighting all these Chinese companies that (Gov.) Gretchen Whitmer wants to bring into our state."

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at a United Auto Workers rally, Detroit, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)

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Jung will now face the winner of the Democratic primary, in which three candidates will seek to replace Kildee.

Kildee has represented Michigan’s 8th Congressional District since 2012, but announced he would not run for re-election last November.