Hertel and Barrett face off in race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District

Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. and Republican Tom Barrett, two former state lawmakers, are now competing for Michigan’s open 7th Congressional District seat after winning their respective primaries this August.

The 7th Congressional District, which is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, comprises Ingham, Livingston, Clinton, and Shiawassee counties, as well as parts of Oakland and Eaton counties. Hertel and Barrett, who will both appear on the general election ballot this November, have vastly different records and opinions on key issues affecting mid-Michigan.

Reproductive rights

Hertel has remained consistently in favor of a woman’s right to an abortion and worked in Lansing to make abortion care more accessible throughout the state. As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s director of legislative affairs, he helped repeal the state’s 1931 abortion ban after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. At a campaign event this summer, Whitmer praised Hertel as someone who will continue to fight for abortion access nationwide if elected to Congress.

Barrett has faced backlash for comments he has made in the past criticizing abortions, even in cases of rape or incest. According to the Detroit Free Press, he sent out fundraising flyers in 2022 calling himself  “100% PRO-LIFE — NO EXCEPTIONS.” In 2019, Barrett introduced legislation to ban second-trimester abortions (dilation and evacuation procedures) as a felony carrying a two-year prison term for Michigan providers, unless the procedures were conducted to save the life of the mother.

Economy

Whitmer has credited Hertel, a strong supporter of Michigan autoworkers, with helping to bring manufacturing investments back home from overseas. Hertel says on his campaign website that, if elected to Congress, he will work to bring good paying jobs to mid-Michigan for everyone, “not just those with a college degree.”

During his time in the state Senate, Barrett voted against bipartisan legislation to attract thousands of auto manufacturing jobs to Michigan and bring a new electric vehicle battery plant to mid-Michigan. He also previously signed a pledge organized by Americans for Tax Reform never to back any tax increase for any reason, and advocates to cut government spending and lower taxes on his campaign website.

Gun violence

In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Michigan State University in 2023, Hertel was part of negotiating three gun safety bills that were eventually signed into law. The new laws expand background checks for people purchasing any firearm, require safe storage to protect children from weapons, and allow judges to issue “red flag” protection orders prohibiting gun possession by people deemed a threat to themselves or others.

Barrett received a 100% score from the National Rifle Association for voting in favor of the group’s interests in the state House of Representatives and the Senate, according to Vote Smart. 

Barrett co-sponsored a 2021 resolution arguing that Michigan need not comply with federal gun laws. That same year, he co-sponsored a bill to allow individuals to carry concealed firearms without a license, arguing “there is no evidence that these current laws actually keep us safer.”

Public education

Hertel is a strong advocate of public education, having received the endorsement of the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest school employee union. Regarding education policy, Hertel co-sponsored a bill in 2021 aimed at reducing the shame associated with student lunch debt, and another to allow school employees who make low wages to collect unemployment benefits during the summer.

Barrett has railed against “the teaching of (critical race theory), encouraging gender confusion, and the indefensible at-home learning and in-school masking policies” on his campaign website from his failed 2022 congressional bid.His previous congressional campaign received nearly $50,000 from the DeVos family of western Michigan, including former U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Barrett supported DeVos’ plan to create a private school voucher program, which critics say will primarily benefit wealthy families and be a major blow to public education.