Kristen McDonald Rivet is a Democrat representing Michigan's 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2025. The district covers Central Michigan, including Genesee, Saginaw, Bay, and Midland counties, encompassing Flint and the Tri-Cities area. Born July 11, 1970, in Portland, Michigan, she grew up in a working-class family and has focused her career on economic security, family issues, education, and public policy. Notable achievements include passing Michigan's largest tax cut for working families, repealing the state's retirement tax and extreme abortion ban, and serving as assistant majority floor leader in the Michigan Senate. In Congress, she serves on the Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, was elected freshman leadership representative to the New Democratic Coalition, and works bipartisanship on lowering costs for child care, prescription drugs, housing, and groceries while protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Education and Political Experience

Education: B.A. from Michigan State University; M.A. in education and public administration from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Political Experience:

- U.S. Representative, Michigan's 8th District

- Michigan State Senate, 35th District ; first Democrat in over a decade and first woman to represent the Great Lakes Bay Region; assistant majority floor leader

- Bay City Commissioner

Prior roles include executive director of Michigan Head Start Association, chief of staff for Michigan Department of Education, vice president of the Skillman Foundation and Michigan Future, Inc., president/CEO of Greater Midland, Inc., and chief strategy officer for Michigan Health Improvement Alliance.