In a surprising outcome in the GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District on Tuesday, August 5th, retired engineer Thomas J. “Tom” Smith secured 50.4% of the vote, defeating Trump-backed Navy veteran Amir Hassan, who received 33.2%, according to the Associated Press with over 95% of ballots counted.

Smith had suspended his campaign on July 17th but remained on the ballot and endorsed fellow engineer Al Lemmo, who finished third with 16.4% of the vote. Smith carried every county in the district, as reported by The New York Times.

Smith sent a handwritten note to an FEC inspector in July stating his campaign was a late entry and had raised only $1,850 through the end of June. In contrast, Hassan’s campaign raised more than $727,000 through mid-July, according to the FEC.

President Donald Trump had publicly endorsed Hassan on July 28th via Truth Social, calling him the next representative for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District and praising his candidacy.

Before the AP called the primary for him, Smith expressed humility and honor in a statement reported by The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer, saying, “I look forward to working with Speaker 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.”

Sources