(The Center Square) – As the race for Michigan’s 7th congressional district shapes up, the candidates have opposing visions on how to strengthen the state.
Democrat Curtis Hertel, former state senator for District 23, has the endorsement of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whom he worked for as director of legislative affairs from 2015 to 2023. His campaign covers a wide range of issues including the economy, voting laws, abortion access, gun control, climate change and health care.
While in office, Hertel supported tax exemptions for alternative energy projects and negotiated with General Motors to launch electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants in the state. He supported the repeal of Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, advocated safe storage gun laws, and opposed legislation that would require stricter voter signature verification.
If elected to the House, Hertel has promised to continue “defending our democracy from MAGA extremism,” lowering health care costs, and bringing manufacturing jobs back to Michigan.
“The choice could not be more clear. Working families in Michigan deserve a representative in Congress who will fight for them,” Hertel said earlier this year. “We’re going to make lowering the costs of being a Michigander, of succeeding in raising a family, a major part of this campaign.”
Republican Tom Barrett, former state senator for District 24, is running his campaign around the theme of security: economic security, neighborhood security, national security, and border security, according to his campaign site.
A veteran with 22 years of service, Barrett joined the Army after graduating high school and served in the Iraq War, Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait, and the Korean DMZ. He says he originally ran for office following his military service after seeing the high levels of unemployment for veterans in Michigan.
While in office, Barrett was a vocal critic of Whitmer’s COVID-19 lockdown policies and sponsored legislation to limit the governor’s emergency powers, which Whitmer vetoed. Barrett opposed taxpayer-funded subsidies for a new EV battery plant in Lansing, and sponsored legislation that would expand Title 42 authority to expel migrants entering the country illegally. Barrett describes himself as “100 percent pro-life” and has supported increased resources to law enforcement and national guard members.
If elected to the House, Barrett has promised to cut government spending and taxes to rein in inflation. He has pledged to support law enforcement, and has lambasted “soft on crime” prosecutors, appeasement-based foreign policy, and lax border security.
“I’ll stand firm against giving your tax dollars to Chinese corporations, just like I did in Lansing. I’ll vote to make our communities safe, secure the border, get fentanyl off our streets, and get government out of the way of our job-creators,” Barrett says on his website. “We will make our country work again, for every family, and along the way, I promise to be a congressman you can be proud of.”
The race has been labeled a “toss-up” by race watchers, including the Cook Political Report.
In 2022, Barrett lost the 7th District race by 20,000 votes to the current office-holder, Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is now vacating the seat to run for U.S. Senate.
In 2020, Republican Rep. Tim Walberg easily defeated Democrat Gretchen Driskell with 58.8% of votes. Driskell had also lost to Walberg in 2018.
The state’s current congressional delegation is composed of seven Democrats and six Republican U.S. representatives. Both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are targeting the 7th district seat, which Republicans hope to flip.
