Posted on 08/08/2026 4:04:53 PM PDT by Libloather
National Republicans are rallying around a complete political unknown who stunned the party by winning a Michigan congressional primary over President Trump’s hand-picked candidate.
Thomas Smith, a retired GM engineer who sells salsa that retails at Flint farmer’s markets, spent virtually nothing yet convincingly beat Trump-backed Amir Hassan — a US Navy vet and former federal law enforcement officer who raised $727,000.
“He’s just as shocked as everyone was on election night,” a Smith campaign consultant told The Post. “He understands that this was not expected, but he also understands that people have spoken.”
Smith won 50.4% of the vote to Hassan’s 33%, while Republican activist Al Lemmo took 16%.
The shocking result came despite Smith having virtually no campaign operation and telling voters weeks before Tuesday’s primary that he was no longer running.
Republican leaders are rallying behind Smith’s race against Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet. Republicans “plan to go on offense” to support Smith, a GOP operative told The Post.
The result was especially stunning because Hassan had spent $623,000 through July, while Smith had barely spent anything.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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yep....admittedly I haven’t researched, but Amir Hassan does not sound like the name of someone with extensive family roots in this country
That was a great commercial 😆
Let’s do a reality check.
You go to vote. You look at the ballot and there is a candidate Thomas Smith and another named Amir Hasan. If you know nothing of the candidates, but you have even drop of FReeper in you, ol’ Tommy will get your vote.
It gets more difficult when you know Amir is Trump endorsed. If you’re not suffering from Type 2 TDS, you start to question if Amir is just another Trump “not-DEI” DEI candidate. You decide not to risk it and ol’ Tommy still gets your vote.
Think I see the problem...
When Republican Wildcat wrote “New York City” I instantly thought of the commerical and had to post a picture from it. It has been ages since I’ve seen it.
If Amir had just Americanized his name to Andy Hanson he’d be the nominee today.
The democrats will attack based solely on “cultural appropriation” by making salsa. Only Mexicans are suppose to make salsa
Yes indeed...
Yep, it’s the name that counts!
Hand Crafted in Michigan · Award-Winning Recipe
yep....admittedly I haven’t researched, but Amir Hassan does not sound like the name of someone with extensive family roots in this country
Simply looking for his campaign website will show you an extensive resume which begins with the fact that he was born and raised in Flint Michigan and has a long ansetoral history in America. He appears to have been an excellent candidate running in rural Michigan with the wrong sounding name. In another cycle, the name might not have been as big a deterent.
Amir was born and raised in Flint, MI. He comes from a General Motors family – his grandparents migrated from Arkansas and Alabama during the great migration seeking opportunity, and they found it in Flint. Amir’s father worked for General Motors as did multiple grandparents, aunts, and uncles. As a direct result of decades of Democratic policies, the opportunity that Amir’s family knew no longer exists for Flintstones.
Amir graduated High School as Class President from Northwestern Edison High, where he played Football, Basketball, and Baseball against the best athletes across the Saginaw Valley conference. Amir stood out in multiple sports and likes to say, “pound for pound, the Saginaw Valley Conference was the hardest hitting conference in the state”.
After a brief stint at Bethune Cookman University, Amir enlisted in the US Navy in 2006 at the height of the Global War on Terrorism. While serving, Amir was stationed in Italy, and worked security at Guantanamo Bay. While stationed at Guantanamo, Amir worked in the prison camps as Watch Commander, supervising all officers and dealt with some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists up close, learning on the job how to handle criminals in a politically charged harsh environment. Later transitioning to an Intelligence Analyst from 2010-2013, Amir helped foil terrorist plots and keep Americans safe.
Amir respects all faiths. He recently reaffirmed his commitment to Christ, stating “Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior.” Having served at Guantanamo Bay, Amir has zero tolerance for extremists who pervert Islam into something evil. Amir believes Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East. A global force for good in a dangerous region of the world, and we shall aid them in combating terrorism, and ensure state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran, never gain access to a nuclear weapon.
After leaving the military, Amir finished his degree at John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York before working in federal law enforcement, which up until his run for Congress, he has done in various capacities ever since.
From his time in the military to providing protection and security to Presidential Cabinet secretaries of both parties and responding to protests-turned-violent – keeping Americans safe is in Amir’s blood.
Not one to back down from a fight, when Amir decided that it was time to hang up his badge and move home, he decided to sign on to serve his country in a different way – by running for Congress in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. From Flint to Bay City to Saginaw to Midland, the Saginaw Valley Conference has had enough career politicians who plead for our votes but only look out for themselves.
A committed America First Republican, Amir is running for Congress to restore opportunity and jobs to the Saginaw Valley and provide reinforcements in Congress for Donald Trump’s agenda against career politicians like Kristen McDonald-Rivet, and her dangerous and expensive radical open-border and green new deal policies.
Amir has two daughters, Naylani (18) and Jayla (5) – for him, restoring the promise and opportunity of the Saginaw Valley is personal. In Congress, Amir will oppose all tax increases and will fight for a total income tax-cut for teachers, nurses, cops and first responders making under $100k a year. He will champion President Trump’s fair-trade agenda, protect life, stand up to China, and fight against Democrat’s open-border policies.
As I noted in another thread
Kristen McDonald Rivet (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. She has $4,254,099 cash on hand.She won in 2024 51% to 44% with 4 other candidates taking the other 5%.
Maybe Thomas J. Smith can give her run for her money. Amir Hassan was not going to beat her in this mostly rural distrct.
The distrct leans blue so it is unlikely Mr. Smith is going to Washington.
“It could people just wanted to vote a person with an American last name.”
I agree. I don’t know anything about “Amir Hassan” but I am convinced a great many Americans are fed up with the swarm of foreigners coming into the country and want more Smiths, Williamses, and Joneses rather than another Hassan.
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