MICHIGAN — Hillary Scholten is a mother of two, a former attorney and now a Congresswoman-Elect. We sit down one-on-one with the first ever woman to represent West Michigan in Congress.
Creeping into the early hours of November 9, Hillary Scholten was declared the winner of Michigan's historically Republican 3rd Congressional District.
Thank you, West Michigan. pic.twitter.com/cDZJX8WOsU
— Hillary Scholten (@HillaryScholten) November 9, 2022
Her victory flipped the district blue for the first time in nearly 50 years. Scholten is still reeling from her win, taking in every joyous moment with her family.
"My fifth grader actually got carried to his room by his buddies who were cheering so loud over his mom's victory," the Congresswoman-Elect said through a smile. "It still feels surreal, looking back on that moment. When the race was finally called, it was just euphoric...I still wake up and think, did this actually happen?"
Scholten was up against republican challenger and Trump-endorsed candidate John Gibbs. Gibbs moved to Michigan after working in Washington DC on President Trump's team.
"Winning by a 13-point margin and flipping some pockets of West Michigan that have never voted for a Democrat, it's really exciting," she said.
Gibbs won the primary against incumbent Peter Meijer in August. He conceded to Scholten after losing in the general election on social media.
A Gigantic Thank You to my great volunteers, supporters, & staff for your love, sweat, & tears over the past year! Through no fault of our own, the results did not turn out the way we wanted. Though our hearts are broken, we continue to ask that God’s will be done.
— John Gibbs for MI-03 (@votejohngibbs) November 9, 2022
My statement: pic.twitter.com/RBZcrpKadN
Scholten says she's in constant contact with Rep. Meijer as she takes over his role in Washington, but hasn't heard from Gibbs personally.
"[Meijer] has just been excellent with helping make sure that this is a smooth transition," Scholten said. "We have not heard from Mr. Gibbs."
Congresswoman-Elect Scholten will join the 118th Congress in January, when the new session begins. However, she's already in Washington, getting her team together, attending orientations and getting aquatinted to the new job.
"It's really been a whirlwind. We found out that we won Wednesday and by that weekend ... was on a flight out to DC for orientation," she said.
Scholten says she'll split her time between West Michigan and Washington and will jump right into work, looking to join the Small Business Committee, Appropriations Committee, Transportation Committee and others, but retaining her focus on West Michigan.
"Delivering for West Michigan day one is absolutely a priority," she said.
