Retired engineer Thomas J. “Tom” Smith secured a surprising victory in the GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District on Tuesday, August 5th, 2026, despite having dropped out of the race a month prior and conducting minimal campaigning.

With over 95% of ballots counted, the Associated Press reported Smith received 50.4% of the vote, outperforming Navy veteran and law enforcement officer Amir Hassan, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and garnered 33.2%. Smith carried every county in the district, according to The New York Times.

Smith had suspended his campaign on July 17th, endorsing fellow engineer Al Lemmo, who ultimately finished third with 16.4% of the vote. Smith explained his withdrawal in a brief video posted to Lemmo’s campaign website, stating, “I am announcing that today I am suspending my campaign, putting my full support behind Al Lemmo.”

Despite his exit, Smith remained on the ballot. He also sent a handwritten note to an FEC inspector in July describing his campaign as a “late entry” that had raised only $1,850 through the end of June, as reported by CNN’s Patrick Svitek.

In contrast, Hassan’s campaign had raised over $727,000 through mid-July, according to Federal Election Commission data. Trump publicly endorsed Hassan on July 28th via Truth Social, calling him the “next Representative from Michigan’s 8th Congressional District” and stating, “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Following his primary win, Smith expressed his intentions in a statement reported by The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer: “I am humbled and honored. 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.”