Fresh off the midterm blue wave, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet is asking her Democratic colleagues to name her the next “Battleground Leadership Representative,” a role aimed at building on the progress the party made in winning House seats.
The Michigan Democrat sent a letter Thursday to her colleagues saying that she will run for the new-ish role in the House Democratic Caucus, launching a bid backed by current representative Rep. Susie Lee, the Blue Dog Coalition and members of the New Democrat Coalition’s leadership team.
In her letter, obtained by The Washington Sun, McDonald Rivet pitched herself as an advocate for Democrats representing competitive districts as the party prepares to take control of the House in January.
“I have always believed that battleground politics is a team sport,” McDonald Rivet wrote, pointing to her work supporting vulnerable incumbents and Democratic challengers. “We
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need a Battleground Leadership Representative who knows the job is to listen to the challenges you face, fight for what you need to succeed, and when we are aligned, leverage our collective voice to drive outcomes.”
McDonald Rivet, who represents a district President Donald Trump won in 2024, has contributed $1.3 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, frontline members and “Red to Blue” candidates this cycle — more than any other frontline member, according to figures provided by her team.
McDonald Rivet won reelection Tuesday after first flipping the open congressional seat in 2024. She previously served in the Michigan state Senate.
“We have the majority. We actually have to deliver, and it can’t just be about continuous fighting against something. We actually have to accomplish things, and we’re going to have to do that with President Trump,” she told The Sun in an interview. “Running in the battleground is a very different experience than running in a solidly blue seat.”
McDonald Rivet said in her letter that battleground Democrats should have a significant voice in shaping the party’s legislative agenda, particularly as the caucus navigates a new majority and prepares for the 2028 election cycle.
“I think everybody’s just bone tired with the division and the yelling and screaming and name-calling. Bone tired,” she said. “That’s not what it means to be a majority maker.
The Battleground Leadership Representative role was created in 2022 to help give a voice to Democrats in competitive districts with House Democratic leaders.
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