The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the election of Michigan's governor, as well as the Class 2 U.S. Senate Seat.
Primary elections to determine major party nominees for the general election were held Tuesday, August 5, 2014, and the partisan filing deadline was Tuesday, April 22, 2014. The members of Congress elected at this election served in the 114th Congress. According to the Rothenberg Political Report, all of Michigan's congressional seats except for the 1st, 7th, 8th, and 11th districts were considered "safe" for the party of the incumbent.
Michigan was the only state where the party that won the most seats did not win the most votes in the state.
Overview
District
Results of the 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan by district:
District 1
The 1st district includes the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan and part of the Lower Peninsula. The district, which makes up about 44% of the land area of the state of Michigan, is the second-largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River by land area. The incumbent is Republican Dan Benishek, who has represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 48% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R+5.
Benishek was re-elected in 2012 with 48.14% of the total votes cast, defeating Democratic former State Representative Gary McDowell by less than 2,000 votes in a field where two third-party candidates received a combined 4.3 percent of the vote. As of September 30, 2013, Benishek had raised $676,545.98, and has $500,163.86 cash on-hand toward a presumed re-election bid.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Dan Benishek, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary
Alan Arcand, businessman, United States Air Force veteran and delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention
Results
Democratic primary
Former Kalkaska County Sheriff Jerry Cannon was recruited by Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Lon Johnson to challenge Benishek.
Candidates
Nominee
Jerry Cannon, retired Michigan Army National Guard Major General and former Kalkaska County Sheriff
Failed to qualify
Kevin Glover
Declined
Gary McDowell, former state representative and nominee for this seat in 2010 & 2012
Results
General election
Endorsements
Predictions
Results
District 2
The 2nd district is located in West Michigan. The incumbent is Republican Bill Huizenga, who has represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R+7.
As of September 30, 2013, Huizenga had raised $537,109.30 for the 2014 election cycle, and has $402,388.39 cash on-hand available toward a presumed re-election bid.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Bill Huizenga, incumbent U.S. Representative
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Dean Vanderstelt, retired business executive
Results
General election
Endorsements
Results
District 3
The 3rd district is located in West Michigan. The incumbent is Republican Justin Amash, who has represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 53% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R+4.
As of September 30, 2013, Amash had raised $555,863.56 for the 2014 election cycle, and has $313,844.71 cash on-hand available toward a presumed re-election bid. In September 2013, Amash ended months of speculation regarding whether he would run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Carl Levin, choosing instead to run for re-election to his House seat. Amash faced a primary challenge from investment manager Brian Ellis. Amash defeated Ellis in the Republican primary.