About
Congresswoman Hillary J. Scholten is honored to serve the people of Michigan’s Third Congressional District, a diverse district that is anchored by the urban centers of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Grand Haven, and includes suburbs, farmland, and miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
Congresswoman Scholten is a fourth-generation West Michigander, a mom, a Christian, and an attorney who proudly served in the U.S. Department of Justice. Her great-great-grandparents emigrated to the United States to find opportunity in West Michigan. Ever since, her parents, grandparents, and extended family have put down deep roots in this community—committed not only to building a better life for themselves and their families, but devoted to creating a better community for all.
A foundation of faith has motivated Congresswoman Scholten’s career in public service and her desire to continue to serve West Michigan in Congress. Inspired by her mother, a dedicated community servant who spent most of her career as a public school teacher at a high-poverty elementary school, Congresswoman Scholten began her own career as a social worker. She worked with people affected by issues of housing and homelessness. During this time, she worked with individuals in the LGBTQ community who were facing homelessness and housing insecurity—often because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In the early part of her career, she gained insight and expertise into how systems work and far too often don’t for those on the margins in society.
Congresswoman Scholten obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and then went on to clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in their special unit focused on immigration issues. Following her clerkship, she joined the Justice Department through the Attorney General Honors Program, where she continued to work on matters of immigration and civil rights.
Congresswoman Scholten now serves as the first woman and mother ever to represent Michigan’s Third District in Congress. Bringing new voices to the table is key to making sure our representation is equitable and reflective of the district. She’s building one of the most diverse teams to ever serve West Michigan, both in Washington, D.C., and at home in the district. Service is at the heart of what drives Congresswoman Scholten’s mission to deliver for the district every single day. She’s focused on providing responsive, effective, down-to-earth, accessible representation that meets the practical needs of the district. This includes securing critical infrastructure investments and eliminating transportation barriers in isolated communities, supporting our small business community, improving K-12 education and higher education, and fighting for West Michiganders’ fundamental rights at the federal level.
West Michigan is Congresswoman Scholten’s home. She and her husband, Jesse, are raising their two boys and the family dog, Smoky, on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. You’ll often find her on the sidelines at her kids’ sporting events, walking Smoky, or in line at the grocery store. At the end of the day, Representative Scholten is committed to rolling up her sleeves and getting to work on the issues that matter to working families across the district, because they matter to her and her family, too—that’s what representation is all about.