2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan

Gary McDowell, a former state representative and unsuccessful candidate for the 1st district in 2010,[15] ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[2] Derek Bailey, the tribal chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians had considered running as a Democrat, but chose instead to run for the 101st Michigan House district seat.[16]

Muskegon city commissioner Willie German Jr ran in the August primary as a write-in candidate[19] after David Takitaki, a political science professor at Adrian College and Muskegon Community College, was seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Huizenga, but withdrew from the race for health reasons.[20] Commissioner German was therefore on the ballot on the Democratic side.[14]

Former state representative, former judge, former Kent County Commissioner and small business owner Steve Pestka[21] won the Democratic primary, defeating Trevor Thomas who had worked for former governor Jennifer Granholm's 2006 re-election campaign and in her executive office.[22] Redistricting drew the home of former Democratic Representative Mark Schauer, who represented the 7th district from 2009 until 2011, into the district;[6] but he decided not to run for Congress in 2012.[23] Pat Miles, a lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged Amash as the Democratic nominee in 2010, also decided not to run.[24][25]

Former Democratic state representative Jim Slezak,[30] and Tuscola County public safety officer Tom Wassa,[31] sought the Republican nomination.[28] Slezak defeated Wassa in the GOP primary.[25]

Mike O'Brien, a project leader at Herman Miller and former organic farmer, will seek the Democratic nomination.[32] John Waltz, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Kentucky's 4th congressional district in 2010, had planned to seek the Democratic nomination,[33] but dropped out in February 2012 because of an illness.[34]

Former state Representative Jack Hoogendyk, who unsuccessfully challenged Upton in the Republican primary in 2010, announced on January 17, 2012, that he would run again.[35] Upton easily defeated Hoogendyk in the GOP primary.[25]

Kurt Haskell, an attorney,[36] and Ruben Marquez, the chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party,[37] ran for the Democratic nomination. Former U.S. Representative Joe Schwarz, who represented the 7th district from 2005 to 2007 as a Republican and was defeated by Walberg in the Republican primary in 2006, and had been recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,[38] has decided not to run.[39] Former U.S. Representative Mark Schauer, who represented the 7th district from 2009 until 2011, no longer lives within its boundaries and will not run.[40]

Mike Stahly, a former member of the Potterville City Council, and Dan Davis, businessman and former police officer, challenged Walberg in the Republican primary.[41]

Lance Enderle, a former teacher and unsuccessful candidate for the 8th district in 2010 was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[42]

Rogers had two challengers for the Republican nomination, Brian Hetrick and Vernon Molnar.[2] Rogers easily won the GOP nomination.[25]

Don Volaric, a businessman who unsuccessfully challenged Levin as the Republican nominee in the 12th district in 2010, is running for the seat.[47] He was opposed in the Republican primary by Gregory Dildilian.
Volaric defeated Dildilian in the GOP primary.[25]

Two candidates were seeking the Democratic nomination, Jerome Quinn and Chuck Stadler. Stadler defeated Quinn in the Democratic primary.[25]

Thad McCotter had represented the old 11th district since 2003 and sought the Republican presidential nomination. After poor polling results, McCotter ended his presidential campaign and announced plans to run again for his seat in Congress. On May 26, 2012, the Michigan Secretary of State announced McCotter had fallen well short of the required 1,000 petition signatures required for him to qualify for the primary ballot.[48][49] In what state officials described as a level of fraud unprecedented in Michigan political history, subsequent reviews of McCotter's petitions revealed that over 85 percent of the signatures were invalid. Most of them were either duplicates or signatures that appeared to have been pasted from past years' petitions.[50][51] Conceding that the signatures were indeed invalid, McCotter announced he would mount a write-in bid for his seat;[52] however, he decided not to continue with his write-in bid on June 2 and announced his intention to retire after completing his term.[53] McCotter suddenly resigned from his seat on July 6, leaving the 11th District unrepresented.[54]

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson found the apparent fraud egregious enough to turn the evidence over to the Michigan attorney general's office to determine if laws were broken regarding the invalid signatures.[55] The Michigan Attorney General's office charged four McCotter aides with forgery, although McCotter was not charged with any wrongdoing.[56][57]

McCotter's resignation resulted in a special election, which was expected to cost taxpayers $650,000.[58][59]

Democratic candidate David Curson defeated Kerry Bentivolio in the special general election, conducted in the 2012-configured 11th district only, and coinciding with the regular general election on November 6. John Tatar was also on the ballot for the Libertarian Party and Mark Sosnowski for the U.S. Taxpayers Party.[60][61] Bentivolio was endorsed by Gov. Rick Snyder, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, Senator Rand Paul, and Congress members Candice Miller, Justin Amash, Dan Banishek and Ron Paul, and former officeholders Rick Santorum and Peter Hoekstra.[62]

As a result of Republican-leaning areas of the old 9th district being drawn into the new 11th,[6] the 11th district was made more favorable to Republicans. McCain received four percentage points more of the vote in the 2008 presidential election in the newly drawn district compared to the current district. While Roll Call rated this race as "Likely Republican" before the primary,[63] they changed the rating to "Leans Republican".[64] It has since changed back to "Likely Republican."

Dr. Syed Taj, a member of the Canton Township Board of Trustees,[65] was the Democratic nominee, defeating Bill Roberts, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche.

For the regular primary held August 7, 2012, for the upcoming two-year term in Congress, Kerry Bentivolio, a veteran and former teacher who had already planned to challenge McCotter, was left the only candidate on the Republican primary ballot.[66] The Troy Republican Club, U.S. House Member Justin Amash, Tea Party groups and Ron Paul's PAC all endorsed Bentivolio.[67][68] Other Republicans, including Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, refused to endorse Bentivolio and instead endorsed former state senator Nancy Cassis as a write-in candidate.[69] Bentivolio defeated Cassis in the August 7 primary, and was the only Republican candidate on the ballot in areas covered by the new 11th. Cassis and Drexel Morton also wrote as write-in candidates.[70]

Daniel Marcin, a doctorate student at the University of Michigan, will challenge Dingell in the Democratic primary.[71] Fellow Democratic U.S. Representative Sander Levin, who has represented the 12th district since 1993 and previously represented the 17th district from 1983 until 1993, will seek re-election in the redrawn 9th district.[17]

Karen Jacobsen, a businesswoman, and Cynthia Kallgren, former candidate for State Representative, will seek the Republican nomination.[71]

Democrat Hansen Clarke, who was first elected to represent the 13th district in 2010, is instead running in the 14th district.[73] State Senator Glenn S. Anderson,[74] Wayne-Westland school board member John Goci,[75] state Representative Shanelle Jackson,[76] and state Senator Bert Johnson,[77][78] are challenging Conyers for the Democratic nomination. Godfrey Dillard, an attorney, had also been seeking the Democratic nomination but was removed from the primary ballot after filing fewer than the 1,000 signatures needed to be eligible for the ballot.[79]

Harry Sawicki was unopposed for the Republican nomination.[79]

Democratic U.S. Representatives Gary Peters, who was elected to represent the 9th district in 2008, and Hansen Clarke, who was first elected to represent the 13th district in 2010, sought election in the new 14th district. Southfield mayor Brenda Lawrence;[44][81] former state representative Mary Waters, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the 13th district in 2008,[82] and Bob Costello also seek the Democratic nomination. Democrat John Conyers, who has represented the 14th district since 1993 and previously represented the 1st district from 1965 until 1993, will instead run in the 13th district.[73]

The lone Republican candidate for the seat is John Hauler.