Kathy Goodwin Brings Working Class Perspective to Michigan’s 8th Congressional District Race
The Chronicle News | Candidate Profile Election 2026
FLINT, Mich. — Kathy Goodwin, a healthcare social worker from the Flint area, is seeking Michigan’s 8th Congressional District seat as the Working Class Party candidate in the November 3 general election. Her candidacy centers on the experiences of working people and families whom she believes are not adequately represented in government. Goodwin is among the candidates seeking the congressional seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet. Her campaign emphasizes economic security, access to healthcare and the importance of workers having a greater voice in decisions affecting their communities.
Goodwin’s professional experience in healthcare has influenced her political outlook and the issues she considers most pressing. As a social worker, she says she helps patients advocate for themselves while navigating a healthcare system that can be difficult to understand and access. According to the biography she provided to The Chronicle News, her interest in worker advocacy was also shaped by learning about the historic 1937 Flint sit-down strike and watching coverage of the Civil Rights Movement with her father. She identifies the 2014 Flint water crisis as another defining experience, reinforcing her concerns about government decisions made without sufficient input from the people directly affected.
Her involvement with the Working Class Party dates back to efforts to establish the organization as a recognized political party in Michigan. Goodwin says she helped collect signatures in 2016 to secure the party’s place on the state ballot, viewing the effort as an opportunity to bring greater attention to the concerns of working people. She connects that political participation to Flint’s history of labor organizing and collective action. Her campaign argues that workers from different backgrounds share economic interests that can serve as a foundation for political involvement.
Healthcare, Wages and Worker Unity
Goodwin has identified three principal priorities in her congressional campaign: universal healthcare, improving the standard of living for working people and building unity among workers across racial, gender and immigration differences. She argues that wages and retirement income should keep pace with rising prices so that workers and retirees can maintain their purchasing power. Her positions reflect the Working Class Party’s broader emphasis on labor issues and economic inequality. Questions about the financing and implementation of these proposals remain important considerations for voters evaluating her candidacy.
Goodwin’s campaign presents her experience in healthcare and community advocacy as a foundation for seeking federal office. Her candidacy adds a minor-party perspective to the 8th District contest, offering voters an alternative set of priorities centered on workers’ economic concerns. The Chronicle News has scheduled a candidate conversation with Goodwin for October 29 to explore her background, policy positions and approach to representing the district. Michigan voters will decide the congressional race on November 3.
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