{"id":29245,"date":"2026-08-06T01:54:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29245"},"modified":"2026-08-06T01:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:54:44","slug":"candidate-who-dropped-out-beats-trump-backed-favorite-in-michigan-gop-house-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29245","title":{"rendered":"Candidate who dropped out beats Trump-backed favorite in Michigan GOP House primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">A candidate who dropped out of Michigan&#8217;s 8th Congressional District race nearly a month ago and has done no fundraising will be the Republican nominee after he defeated favorite Amir Hassan, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Thomas J. Smith, a retired engineer who exited the race in mid-July, pulled in 50% of the vote in Tuesday\u2019s Republican primary and was projected to win the race as of Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur lIngG \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_4x3.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Tom Smith is shown in this undated file photo.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Tom Smith for Congress<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Though Smith suspended his campaign weeks ago and backed a third candidate, Al Lemmo, his name remained on the ballot. Smith, a largely unknown entity, told the Federal Election Commission in a July letter that his campaign had raised a total of $1,850 &#8212; significantly less than the $700,000 that Hassan raised, according to the FEC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Smith told the Detroit News in a statement Wednesday morning that he was &#8220;humbled and honored&#8221; by the victory, moving quickly to align himself behind Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Smith briefly spoke at a Michigan GOP event Wednesday alongside other party candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Hassan, in a social media post Wednesday, said he &#8220;fell short last night.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;There is no excuse. This was a tough race,&#8221; Hassan wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Hassan is the first Trump-endorsed congressional candidate to lose this cycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/934e42fc-0ee9-4424-91e1-e6b120cf3273\/amir-hassan-ap-jt-260805_1785949468397_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/934e42fc-0ee9-4424-91e1-e6b120cf3273\/amir-hassan-ap-jt-260805_1785949468397_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/934e42fc-0ee9-4424-91e1-e6b120cf3273\/amir-hassan-ap-jt-260805_1785949468397_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/934e42fc-0ee9-4424-91e1-e6b120cf3273\/amir-hassan-ap-jt-260805_1785949468397_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/934e42fc-0ee9-4424-91e1-e6b120cf3273\/amir-hassan-ap-jt-260805_1785949468397_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">President Donald Trump listens as Republican congressional candidate Amir Hassan speaks at an event at the General Motors Proving Ground on July 27, 2026, in Milford, Mich.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Paul Sancya\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">His surprise victory upends the landscape for Republicans, who saw the seat &#8212; currently held by first-term Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet &#8212; as a key flip opportunity come November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The district is one of few nationwide that swung for Trump in 2024 but elected a Democrat down the ballot for the House seat, making it a must-win if the Republican Party wants to preserve its margin in the House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Hassan, a Navy veteran and law enforcement officer, was the wide favorite in the race after he notched Trump\u2019s endorsement. But Hassan was trailing Smith by 17 percentage points as of Wednesday morning, with 99% of the vote counted. Lemmo, the third candidate hovered around 16%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The National Republican Campaign Committee appeared to quickly throw its weight behind Smith on Wednesday morning, congratulating the candidate in a social media post on X.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Michiganders just chose a retired GM engineer, small business owner <!-- -->&amp;<!-- --> father of three veterans to fight to lower the cost of living in Congress,&#8221; the NRCC wrote in the post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Little is known about Smith, a longtime Flint resident whose campaign website touts that he is an engineer who climbed the ranks at General Motors and an entrepreneur who launched a family salsa business with his son.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">ABC News has not been able to reach Smith or Lemmo for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1ed82baa-29b5-4f8d-a49d-918f2452bc84\/michigan-voting-01-ap-jt-260805_1785949785133_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1ed82baa-29b5-4f8d-a49d-918f2452bc84\/michigan-voting-01-ap-jt-260805_1785949785133_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1ed82baa-29b5-4f8d-a49d-918f2452bc84\/michigan-voting-01-ap-jt-260805_1785949785133_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1ed82baa-29b5-4f8d-a49d-918f2452bc84\/michigan-voting-01-ap-jt-260805_1785949785133_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1ed82baa-29b5-4f8d-a49d-918f2452bc84\/michigan-voting-01-ap-jt-260805_1785949785133_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">People vote in the primary election at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Mich., on Aug. 4, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Nic Antaya\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Democrats have already seized on the surprise outcome as evidence that Republicans are in disarray ahead of the midterms. A spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the race an &#8220;embarrassing upset&#8221; in a Wednesday statement.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Donald Trump and the NRCC&#8217;s handpicked candidate just lost his primary to a man who quit this race weeks ago to endorse a third person in the primary. This embarrassing upset is the latest proof that Washington Republicans are not ready for November,&#8221; the spokesperson wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">A spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State office confirmed that the candidate with the most votes is certified as the winner, even if they left the race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A candidate who dropped out of Michigan&#8217;s 8th Congressional District race nearly a month ago and has done no fundraising will be the Republican nominee after he defeated favorite Amir Hassan, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in June. Thomas J. Smith, a retired engineer who exited the race in mid-July, pulled in 50%&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/0f2091c8-5eae-407c-b321-8c4a3e1f6d1e\/thomas-j-smith-ht-jt-260805_1785954137387_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}