DCCC adds Christina Hines to Red to Blue program in race for Michigan's 10th District seat
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Christina Hines to its Red to Blue program on Tuesday. The program will give the Democratic candidate fundraising, staffing, and strategic support in the race for Michigan's open 10th Congressional District seat.
Hines, a former prosecutor from Warren, faces Republican Michael Bouchard in November. The seat is being vacated by U.S. Rep. John James, who won the Republican gubernatorial nomination last week and is leaving the House to run for governor.
"Christina Hines is tough as nails and has what it takes to flip this open seat blue," DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said in a statement. "Serving as chief prosecutor of the special victims unit, Christina put violent criminals behind bars to keep Michigan families safe."
DelBene also called Hines "a mom of three living with her family in the very same community that raised her" and said she would fight to lower costs and stand up to corruption.
The 10th District covers much of southern and central Macomb County, including Warren and Sterling Heights, and stretches west into Rochester and Rochester Hills in Oakland County. The DCCC said nearly 90% of registered voters in the district live in Macomb County.
The Red to Blue program is reserved for candidates the DCCC considers capable of flipping competitive Republican-held seats. It provides campaign staff resources, training, and strategic guidance.
Hines won last week's Democratic primary with about 47,000 votes, defeating Eric Chung and Tim Greimel. Bouchard won a four-way Republican primary.
The district has been one of Michigan's most competitive congressional battlegrounds. James first won the seat in 2022 by about 1,600 votes over Democrat Carl Marlinga. In their 2024 rematch, James won with about 51% of the vote to Marlinga's 45%.
Hines grew up in Macomb County and now lives in Warren with her husband and three children. After graduating from Wayne State University Law School, she began working as a prosecutor in the Wayne County Prosecutor's General Trials Unit. There she handled felony cases such as armed robbery, home invasions, and homicide.
She later moved to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office, where she was promoted to chief of the Special Victims Unit Division and then chief of the Appeals Division. The Special Victims Unit focuses on sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and child pornography cases. Hines also led the county's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and started a restorative justice program.
In a previous interview, Hines said her legal career was inspired by a desire to protect victims of crime, especially women and children.
"I didn't know exactly what field of law I wanted to practice, but I wanted to advocate for women and children," Hines said. "I had already known over a dozen women who had been sexually assaulted."
Hines previously ran for Macomb County prosecutor against Republican Peter Lucido, saying at the time that the office needed more professionalism and integrity.
Bouchard is an Army veteran and the son of Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Before the Republican primary, President Trump endorsed him and called him an "America First Patriot."
Bouchard previously worked as a researcher for Capitol Affairs LLC, a Lansing lobbying firm run by Robert Kennedy, a longtime political ally and former staffer for his father. The firm represented clients in the pharmaceutical, health insurance, and auto industries.
Kennedy worked for Mike Bouchard in the Michigan Senate in the 1990s, later served as a legislative coordinator for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, and held positions in Bouchard's political campaigns.
The DCCC said it chose Hines because of her Macomb County roots and prosecutor background as Democrats fight to regain control of the U.S. House.
