Congresswoman reveals her husband of 20 years walked out on her and their sons, then demanded a divorce

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:56, 3 April 2026 | Updated: 00:15, 4 April 2026 A Democratic congresswoman has revealed her husband of 20 years abruptly walked out on her family and demanded a divorce.  Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten, 44, shared a statement on Friday evening about her heartbreak, saying she was blindsided by the breakup from her husband Jesse Holcomb, 45.   'Earlier this year, our family went through a heartbreaking change when my husband of 20 years suddenly left our family and then filed for divorce,' Scholten wrote.  The lawmaker revealed the news in a letter to her constituents that she then shared on X, saying she has been raising her two sons alone after her husband left.  'With the help of incredible family and friends, and through my unshakable, foundational faith in God, I have been raising my boys with strength, love, and stability,' she wrote.  'We have been overcoming every day.'  Scholten is seen as a rising star in the party and became the first Democrat in almost half a century to represent the city of Grand Rapids in Congress when she took office in 2023.  Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten, 44, revealed her husband of 20 years Jesse Holcomb abruptly walked out on her family and demanded a divorce The Democrat shared a statement on Friday evening about her heartbreak, saying she was blindsided by the breakup from her husband Scholten last shared a picture of herself with her husband in January, and last year posted a Valentine's Day message describing him as her 'forever Valentine.'  The congresswoman did not share a Valentine's Day post with her husband this year.  Her husband Jesse Holcomb, a journalism professor at Calvin University, did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Scholten's Friday evening statement.  In her letter, Scholten told her constituents that she had no plans to step away from public life as she grapples with her divorce.  'Despite this personal hardship, I have continued to show up for you in every way too,' she wrote.  'I've passed legislation, brought dollars back to the district, and served my constituents - and I will continue doing just that.  'I raised my hand to do this job because I wanted more people who have never been heard to have a voice. As a woman, a mother, a social worker, and a public interest lawyer, I carry stories with me that are not often told in the halls of power. 'Nothing in my current situation changes that,' she said. 'In fact, it deepens it.'   Scholten last shared a picture of herself with her husband in January, and last year posted a Valentine's Day message describing him as her 'forever Valentine' Scholten, seen with former President Bill Clinton, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and became the first Democrat in almost half a century to represent the city of Grand Rapids in Congress when she took office in 2023 Scholten joins a growing number of Michigan Democrats who have gotten divorced in recent years.  This includes Rep. Haley Stevens, who separated from her husband in 2022 after a year of marriage.  This was followed by then-Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin divorcing her husband Dave Moore in 2023, the year before she was elected to the US Senate.  The Daily Mail has contacted Rep. Scholten's office for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.