Candidate who dropped out beats Trump-backed favorite in Michigan GOP House primary
A candidate who dropped out of Michigan'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% of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary and was projected to win the race as of Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
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 -- significantly less than the $700,000 that Hassan raised, according to the FEC.
Smith told the Detroit News in a statement Wednesday morning that he was "humbled and honored" by the victory, moving quickly to align himself behind Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Smith briefly spoke at a Michigan GOP event Wednesday alongside other party candidates.
Hassan, in a social media post Wednesday, said he "fell short last night."
"There is no excuse. This was a tough race," Hassan wrote.
Hassan is the first Trump-endorsed congressional candidate to lose this cycle.
His surprise victory upends the landscape for Republicans, who saw the seat -- currently held by first-term Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet -- as a key flip opportunity come November.
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.
Hassan, a Navy veteran and law enforcement officer, was the wide favorite in the race after he notched Trump’s 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%.
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.
"Michiganders just chose a retired GM engineer, small business owner & father of three veterans to fight to lower the cost of living in Congress," the NRCC wrote in the post.
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.
ABC News has not been able to reach Smith or Lemmo for comment.
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 "embarrassing upset" in a Wednesday statement.
"Donald Trump and the NRCC'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," the spokesperson wrote.
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.
