'Outsider' TV veteran jumps into swing state House race aiming to flip longtime red seat back to GOP

West Michigan meteorologist Terri DeBoer launches Republican congressional bid, promising outsider perspective in a bid to unseat Dem. Rep. Hillary Scholten. Midterm Elections 'Outsider' TV veteran jumps into swing state House race aiming to flip longtime red seat back to GOP MI-03 was a Republican seat for decades before Democrat Hillary Scholten won in 2022. By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News Published March 5, 2026 9:00am EST Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Veteran meteorologist jumps in to Michigan House race touting ‘outsider’ label Fox News Digital exclusively spoke to Republican Terri DeBoer about her run for Congress in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! FIRST ON FOX: Longtime West Michigan meteorologist Terri DeBoer is launching a run for Congress as a Republican, hoping to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District in a campaign centered on border security, economic issues and what she called restoring "fiscal sanity" in Washington. "I'm an outsider," DeBoer told Fox News Digital in her first interview since becoming a candidate for Congress as a Republican running to unseat Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has held the seat since 2023."I am a West Michigan resident, and as an outsider, I believe that West Michigan is not blue, West Michigan is not red. West Michigan is all about solving the problems that we face, no matter who has those ideas, no matter what side of the aisle they happen to sit on." DeBoer has spent more than 30 years on West Michigan television, working at stations including WWMT-TV, WOOD-TV and most recently FOX-17 (WXMI-TV), where she returned in 2024 after a brief break. Meteorologist Terri DeBoer has launched a congressional bid in Michigan. (Fox News Digital/Getty Images) She began her career in broadcast journalism as a news reporter before transitioning to meteorology in the early 1990s. Known to many viewers as "everyone’s mom," DeBoer has been a steady on-air presence during major weather events, including the 1998 derecho and the 2022 Christmas blizzard.DeBoer says she sees similarities between her previous position, where she was affectionately referred to by many as "everyone's mom," and helping people navigate and prepare for tough weather ahead. DEMOCRATS NAME CANDIDATES TO 'RED TO BLUE' INITIATIVE, AIMING TO FLIP GOP MAJORITY DURING MIDTERMS The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)"I am asking the people of Michigan's 3rd District to send me to Capitol Hill so that I can make a difference helping prepare people for the storms that we're facing and help steer us away from the impact of those storms," DeBoer said. DeBoer, a wife, mother and grandmother, says her interest in politics was inspired by hearing former President Ronald Reagan speak in person during her senior year of high school. She said she thought to herself that if she ever had the opportunity to "serve my country," she would "step forward and do it." DeBoer is the first major Republican candidate to enter the race in a district the Cook Political Report ranks as "Solid D," in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and that is known for narrow margins of victory.Additionally, when Scholten won her election, she became the first Democrat to win that seat since the 1970s. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Zach Bannon called Scholten a "rubber stamp" for the "radical far left" in a statement to Fox News Digital and said Republicans are "on the offense." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) speaks at a press conference following a House Democratic Caucus meeting. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Other priorities from DeBoer, according to a press release and her newly launched campaign website, include pushing back against the "political elite" and "open-border policies" and advocating for affordability."For me, I am someone who is willing to listen to all great ideas, because I know that the problems that we have to solve, we are going to face, are going to need to be tackled by everyone, and so we need to come together and the best way to come together is to send an outsider to Washington," DeBoer said. "I have loyalty to West Michigan. I don't have loyalty to a party." Republicans currently control the House by a 218-214 majority, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat vacant. Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years. Related Article Newsom predicts Trump is 'toast,' will drag GOP into midterm wipeout Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected]. Related Topics Midterm ElectionsMichiganPoliticsHouse of Representatives ElectionsElections More from Politics 44 mins ago GOP Rep Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former aide for first time