Barrett seeks re-election in Michigan’s 7th district after Army and public safety focus

U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, a first‑term Republican from Charlotte, is asking voters in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District to send him back to Washington on Nov. 3. Barrett, who flipped the Lansing‑area seat in 2024, is campaigning on his 22‑year Army career and a focus on public safety in a competitive House race. He faces Democrat William Lawrence, who won a three‑way primary on Aug. 4 to secure the Democratic nomination.

Barrett’s background includes more than 1,000 hours of helicopter flight in Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay and the Korean Demilitarized Zone, followed by four years in the Michigan House and four years in the Michigan Senate. He first ran for the seat in 2022 and lost to then‑Rep. Elissa Slotkin; when Slotkin ran for the Senate two years later, Barrett won the open seat, beating Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. President Donald Trump carried the seat 49.9% to 48.6%.

On Oct. 7, Barrett held an event outside the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office with House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, and leaders of the Police Officers Association of Michigan and the Fraternal Order of Police. Supporters displayed printouts of 2020 social media posts in which Lawrence called for defunding police; Lawrence has since disavowed that position and now supports police funding, community violence intervention programs, and more mental health resources. Barrett also highlighted his vote against a war powers resolution in March and his introduction of legislation authorizing force against Iran on May 7, capping its scope and setting a deadline.

Read the full story at wlns.com.