Rashida Tlaib secured the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District on August 4, winning 63.8 percent of the primary vote and defeating challengers Shanelle Jackson and Byron Nolen. The incumbent will advance to the November general election as she seeks her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Tlaib received 12,084 votes in the three-way race, according to Ballotpedia. Jackson, a former Inkster mayor, garnered 25.8 percent of the vote with 4,897 votes, while Nolen finished third with 10.4 percent and 1,964 votes.
The congresswoman has made history throughout her political career. In 2008, she became the first Muslim woman ever elected to the Michigan Legislature, serving in the state House for six years. She later made national headlines in 2018 when she became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, alongside Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, and the first Palestinian American woman to serve in the chamber.
Tlaib has represented Michigan’s 12th Congressional District since January 2023, after the district was redrawn. She previously represented the 13th District from 2019 to 2023. The Working Families Party endorsed her reelection campaign in early 2026, citing her record as a working families champion.
In the November 3, 2026 general election, Tlaib will face Republican James Hooper, who won his party’s primary unopposed, along with candidates from the Green Party, the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and the Working Class Party. The 12th District, centered in northern Wayne County around Dearborn and Southfield, has been a Democratic stronghold, favoring the party by 35.9 points in the 2024 presidential election.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — primary results, vote totals, and candidate information for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District Democratic primary
- CBS News Detroit — confirmation of Tlaib’s primary win and her fourth-term bid
- NPR — background on Tlaib’s 2018 election as one of the first two Muslim women in Congress
- Working Families Party — endorsement of Tlaib in 2026
