Kristen McDonald Rivet
DemocratU.S. Representative, MI-8| Age | 55 (b. 1970-07-11) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2025-01-03 (~1 yrs) |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Education | B.A. in History, Michigan State University (1992); M.P.A., University of Michigan-Flint (2010); graduated Portland High School (Michigan), 1988. |
| Prior occupation | Nonprofit executive and advocate; President & CEO of Greater Midland Community Centers; Vice President at The Skillman Foundation and Michigan Future Inc.; Executive Director of Michigan Head Start; staff at the Michigan Department of Human Services and chief of staff to the State Superintendent at the Michigan Department of Education. |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Portland, Michigan |
| Marital status | Married — Joseph Rivet |
| Children | 6 |
| Residence | Bay City, Michigan |
| Notable relatives | Fraternal twin sister Karen McDonald, Oakland County (MI) Prosecutor and 2026 candidate for Michigan Attorney General; husband Joseph Rivet, former Michigan state representative (1999-2004), former Bay County Drain Commissioner, and former Bay City Commissioner. |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2024 |
| Previous offices | Bay City Charter Commission · Bay City Commission (2nd Ward), 2019-2022 · Michigan State Senate, 35th district, 2023-2025 (Assistant Majority Floor Leader) |
| Committees | House Committee on Agriculture · House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| Caucuses | New Democrat Coalition (Freshman Leadership Representative) · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Labor Caucus |
| Leadership | Assistant Majority Floor Leader, Michigan State Senate (2023-2025) · Freshman Leadership Representative, New Democrat Coalition (119th Congress) |
| Ideology | Democrat representing a swing district (MI-08) that Donald Trump carried in 2024; member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition; voted with some Republicans on the Laken Riley Act (2025). |
| Signature legislation | Michigan Working Families Tax Credit expansion (state, increasing the credit from 6% to 30% of the federal EITC) · Susan Muffley Act of 2025 (restoring pensions to Delphi salaried retirees) · FARMLAND Act (co-sponsor; CFIUS review of foreign farmland purchases) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.