Thomas J. Smith
Candidate for Michigan 8th Congressional District · Republican
On the 2026 ballotChallenger · Michigan 8th Congressional District · Nov 3 General
Ballot status source: Michigan Department of State — Official Candidate Listing, All State and Judicial Offices, General Election November 3, 2026: USH8, Thomas J. Smith (Republican Party) · read Sep 24, 2026
The District
What Michigan 8th Congressional District covers
Covers all of Saginaw County, Genesee County and Bay County; part of Midland County.
Includes Midland, Flint, Burton, Saginaw, Bay City, Bridgeport, Shields, Beecher, Burt, Fenton, Freeland, Lake Fenton and 27 more.
301 precincts · District lines: Congressional lines: U.S. Census Bureau (1:500,000 cartographic boundary, 119th Congress) · Precinct lines: State of Michigan (DTMB/Bureau of Elections), 2024 Voting Precincts statewide layer (gisagocss.state.mi.us OpenData/boundaries/MapServer/9); State of Michigan Voting Precincts 2020 and 2022 (for those elections)
Results
Certified results for Michigan 8th Congressional District
8TH District Representative IN Congress
2024 Michigan General Election · Nov 5, 2024| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen McDonald RivetDemocrat | Democrat | 217,490 | 51.3% |
| Paul JungeRepublican | Republican | 189,317 | 44.6% |
| Kathy GoodwinOther party | Other party | 8,492 | 2.0% |
| Steve BarceloLibertarian | Libertarian | 4,768 | 1.1% |
| James Allen LittleU.S. Taxpayers | U.S. Taxpayers | 2,681 | 0.6% |
| Jim CashaGreen | Green | 1,602 | 0.4% |
Official certified results (Michigan Bureau of Elections precinct file) · Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections — official precinct results
8TH District Representative IN Congress
2022 Michigan General Election · Nov 8, 2022| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel T. KildeeDemocrat | Democrat | 178,303 | 53.1% |
| Paul JungeRepublican | Republican | 143,819 | 42.8% |
| Kathy GoodwinOther party | Other party | 9,069 | 2.7% |
| David CannyLibertarian | Libertarian | 4,555 | 1.4% |
Official certified results (Michigan Bureau of Elections precinct file) · Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections — official precinct results
8TH District Representative IN Congress
2020 Michigan General Election · Nov 3, 2020| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elissa SlotkinDemocrat | Democrat | 217,915 | 50.9% |
| Paul JungeRepublican | Republican | 202,517 | 47.3% |
| Joe HartmanLibertarian | Libertarian | 7,897 | 1.8% |
Official certified results (Michigan Bureau of Elections precinct file) · Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections — official precinct results
Key Votes
The record
No public voting record
No elected office found. Press identifies Thomas Smith as a retired General Motors engineer and small-business owner (co-founder of Jar Head Salsa); he has not held legislative or council office. Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Press · Michigan Advance · source
Newest first. A close vote was decided by 5% of the votes cast or less (or 10 votes or fewer, under a fifth of the votes). Broke with party: voted against most of their party, where the record gives the party split.
Their Money
Campaign finance
- Last Change
- New finance report · Oct 9
- Raised
- $243,238cycle to date through Aug 24
- Cash on Hand
- $219,799cycle to date through Aug 24
- Debts Owed
- $7,600cycle to date through Aug 24
- Next Report Due
- Q3 Report · Oct 15
View on FEC.govFEC, cycle to date through Aug 24, 2026
Top Payees
Who the campaign paid most, as its filing reports it.
- VISION SOLUTIONS, LLC · advertising$2,844
Campaign finance — TOM SMITH FOR CONGRESS: Pre-Primary 2026, through Jul 15, 2026
Jul 15, 2026 · Official · Federal Election CommissionFinance Reports
Financial disclosure — no House filing on record
No record in system: no House financial disclosure report or threshold notice for Thomas J. Smith (MI-08) in the Clerk's 2025–2026 FD index files (generated 2026-09-23) or the Clerk's live search (last name 'Smith', state MI, filing years 2025–2026, checked 2026-09-24).
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · Clerk of the U.S. House of RepresentativesCampaign finance — TOM SMITH FOR CONGRESS: Pre-Primary 2026, through Jul 15, 2026
Raised $10,290.21 this cycle · spent $3,244.71 · cash on hand $7,045.50 · debts owed by the committee $7,600.00 — through Jul 15, 2026. Where the money came from (cycle to date, as reported): Individuals $2,685.00 (26%); The candidate (contributions) $5.00 (0%); Loans made or guaranteed by the candidate $7,600.00 (74%). Where it went (itemized operating expenditures this cycle, FEC-processed through Sep 20, 2026): media/ad buying $2,844.
Jul 15, 2026 · Official · Federal Election Commission
Filings
- Statement of CandidacyFEC · 2026View the Filing
- Statement of OrganizationFEC · 2026View the Filing
Money shows as the filings named here report it. Payees are who the campaign paid; individual contributors are not shown.
Advertising
Who is advertising for and against Thomas
Advertising summary — for and against (2026 cycle)
For: own campaign $0 on Google; outside Google ads $21,067–$24,158; Snap $0; broadcast TV not searched; FEC independent expenditures $25,852. Against: outside Google ads $0–$0; opponent campaign ads $0–$0; Snap $0; broadcast TV not searched; FEC independent expenditures $0. 2026 cycle. Broadcast TV: not yet searched. Meta not included.
Sep 23, 2026 · Official · Ads summary (2026 cycle)Google/YouTube ads — NO GOING BACK PAC INC. (supporting)
NO GOING BACK PAC INC. — supporting this candidate (evidence: schedule e). 24 ads since Nov 2024; spend on these ads $21,067–$24,158 (Google creative spend ranges, geo-allocated); 24 of them also linked to other candidates.
Sep 23, 2026 · Official · Google Political Ads Transparency Report (bundle updated 2026-09-23 21:37 PT) · source
Independent Expenditures
FEC independent expenditures on file: $153,439 supporting, $5,000 opposing, across 14 reports.
NO GOING BACK PAC INC.Supporting · $90,746
7 reports, newest Oct 9, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
America PACSupporting · $62,693
6 reports, newest Oct 10, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
For Michigan Action FundOpposing · $5,000
1 report, newest Oct 6, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Spend as each platform or filing reports it. Each line is a separate measure, and they are not added together.
In Their Words
What they have said, on the record
“This doctor, who kept ordering the salsa and giving it to his friends, said we should go into business. That’s all I needed to hear.”
“I had this entrepreneurial desire that was pent up all those years at GM”
“We went to visit him, and he told us to try the salsa he created. It was wonderful”
“I could not file this form electronically because I have had no success logging in and have not been able to get a response from the helpdesk”
“I am suspending my campaign and putting my full support behind Al Lemmo.”
“I ask every one of my supporters to join me in uniting behind Lemmo for Congress.”
Show all 10 statementsShow fewer
“Al is a champion for conservative principles and is the right choice for Republicans in August”
“We need strong conservative leadership that protects our constitutional freedoms, supports working families, secures our borders, and restores accountability in Washington”
“I look forward to working with Speaker (Mike) Johnson and the entire Republican team to expand our House majority and advance President Trump’s America First agenda to lower costs for working families and make America affordable again.”
“I am humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me to take the fight to Kristen McDonald Rivet”
In the News
Press coverage
- GOP Congressional candidate to skip mid-Michigan debate forum, drawing criticismSep 23, 2026 · Press · MLive
- Thomas Smith dropped his Michigan House bid last month, but ...Aug 6, 2026 · Press · CBS News
- Meet the Michigan Salsa mogul who just beat a Trump-backed RepublicanAug 6, 2026 · Press · Washington Examiner
- GOP voters select candidate in 8th Congressional District who ...Aug 5, 2026 · Press · Michigan Advance
- Trump-Backed Republican Loses to Little-Known Rival Who Had ...Aug 5, 2026 · Press · The New York Times
- Thomas Smith beats Amir Hassan in GOP primary for Congress in mid-MichiganAug 5, 2026 · Press · Detroit Free Press
- Candidate who suspended campaign defeats Trump pick in Michigan primary | WCMU Public MediaAug 5, 2026 · Press · WCMU Public Media
- Candidate who dropped out beats Trump’s pick in a battleground GOP House primaryAug 5, 2026 · Press · NBC News
- Thomas Smith upsets Trump-endorsed House candidate in ...Aug 5, 2026 · Press · Fox News
- Republican who paused campaign leads Trump-backed rival in Michigan primary — and says he’s ready for November after allAug 5, 2026 · Press · MLive
Headlines link to the original reporting, captured on the date shown.
Reach Them
Websites and accounts
- Campaign Websitetomsmithformi.comFull-page screenshot of the campaign website, captured 2026-09-24 12:36 UTC. Public metrics: not applicable (website).Sep 24, 2026 · Self-published · campaign websiteSelf-published
- Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61590850209861Public metrics as displayed to a logged-out visitor at capture (2026-09-24 12:55 UTC): 164 followers · 24 following.Sep 24, 2026 · Self-published · Facebook page Tom Smith for Congress (linked from tomsmithformi.com)Self-published
The 2026 Field
Who else is running for Michigan 8th Congressional District
- Kristen McDonald RivetDemocrat · Incumbent · On the 2026 ballot
- Jim CashaGreen · On the 2026 ballot
- Kathy GoodwinOther party · On the 2026 ballot
- C. Mia PettusLibertarian · On the 2026 ballot
The Paper Trail
Filings, results and exhibits
U.S. Representative · MI-08
Republican · Candidate · On the 2026 ballot
Sep 4, 2026 · Official · Michigan Bureau of Elections
Not on file for Thomas yet: Polls. Coverage varies by state and office.
File read Sep 25, 2026. Each item names its source. Record ID p_b0418qcpp.
GOTV Intel reports are sourced, cited research leads your campaign confirms against the primary record before use. They are never a consumer report and never for employment, credit, insurance, housing or licensure.