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JD Vance 2026 election rally in Howell, Mich.
Vice President JD Vance held an election rally in Howell, Mich. Tuesday, which is in a key swing district, District 7.
Vice President JD Vance held an election rally in Michigan Tuesday, in a swing district with a closely-watched U.S. House race.
Here’s what to know:
JD Vance in Howell, Michigan
U.S. Vice President JD Vance walks to speak to the media before boarding Air Force Two on October 27, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Vance is traveling to Michigan to attend a rally ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Saul Loeb-Pool/Gett
Timeline:
He was in Howell and spoke for about a half hour. You can watch in the video player above.
Michigan’s 7th district
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Eight days out from Election Day
With eight days to go until Election Day, and on the heels of visits by President Trump and Former President Obama, The Pulse breaks down Roop Raj's exclusive one-on-one interview with President Trump, and discusses the races with Oakland University Political Science Professor Dave Dulio and Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. Plus, Attorney Todd Flood discusses the latest on several lawsuits involving Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
Local perspective:
Michigan’s 7th district is centered around Lansing, and includes parts of Oakland and Genesee counties and the cities of Howell and Brighton.
The backstory:
The primary was competitive between three Democrats to go up against Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in November. His challenger will be Democratic candidate William Lawrence.
Who is Tom Barrett?
Dig deeper:
Last year, Army veteran Tom Barrett flipped the district for Republicans, delivering a key win for the party as it kept its House majority. He defeated Democrat Curtis Hill by almost four percentage points in the open race.
The seat was previously held by centrist Democrat Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who successfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2024.
Who is William Lawrence?
The backstory:
Lawrence was the progressive candidate on the ballot, beating out two more moderate candidates. He was endorsed by Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
He’s a community organizer and coalition-builder who has helped dozens of Mid-Michigan families avoid homelessness, according to his website. He is also a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change. He was raised in East Lansing and lives there currently with his wife.
Michigan election 2026
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Detroit breaks opening-day early voting record
Detroit City Clerk Janice M. Winfrey announced that 2,305 Detroiters voted across the city’s eight early voting centers on opening day, setting a new opening-day record. The total passed the 1,897 ballots cast on the first day of early voting for the November 2024 presidential election.
What's next:
Early in-person voting is underway and available through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Michigan’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
READ MORE: Michigan early voting: In-person polling locations open now through Nov. 1
Why you should care:
The race will be watched to see how a progressive Democrat performs against a Republican incumbent, and what that means for control of the U.S. House.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party holds the majority with 218 seats to the Democrats' 214 seats.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from previous FOX 2 reporting, the White House, The Associated Press and Will Lawrence’s campaign website.