Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A competitive race is brewing for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in 2024 – which includes Livingston County.

Former Republican State Senator Tom Barrett and former Democratic State Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. both announced runs for the seat currently held by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin is not running for the seat and previously announced she would be seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by longtime Senator Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring.

The 7th District includes Livingston, Ingham, Clinton, and Shiawassee Counties; as well as parts of Eaton, Oakland, and Genesee Counties. Major cities include Lansing, East Lansing, Brighton, and Howell.

Hertel served in the state Legislature from 2015 to 2022 before being term-limited. After that, he joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s staff as Director of Legislative Affairs.

Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran, served in both the state House and Senate and was the Republican nominee in the 2022 election for the newly redrawn 7th District. He narrowly lost to Slotkin in what was dubbed one of the most expensive congressional races in the U.S.

In making his announcement Monday, Barrett stopped by the WHMI studios to talk about his campaign.

Barrett discussed threats being facing abroad from countries like China as well others he sees emerging as greater threats. He noted threats at the southern border with the Mexican drug cartel and the huge amount of fentanyl being smuggled into the country, as well as humanitarian issues such as human trafficking in vulnerable populations.
Barrett also talked about violent crime gripping the country – which he says is becoming more and more of a threatening problem. He noted that Lansing is one of the central geographic points of the 7th District and it still ranks as one of the most violent cities in America.

Barrett further cited economic security challenges – commenting that inflation is still high, family budgets are under attack, grocery bills are too high, and gas prices are still going up. In the midst of all of those challenges, Barrett said he doesn’t really see anyone stepping up to advocate for families like his as well as people across the District who would like to see a change in direction.

Barrett noted he respects Hertel and texted him to congratulate him on his campaign announcement but definitely does not agree with him and said the differences between them in the race will be “significant”. Barrett added he wouldn’t be running if he didn’t feel he was the best prepared to represent the District.

Barrett said he’ll be working to touch base with as many voters as possible and reintroduce himself, saying he had an abbreviated timeline in his last campaign due to the redistricting process. He said this time around, he’s not challenging an incumbent and again said he feels people want a different direction.

Barrett acknowledged it will be a key race for Republicans, as the District is one of the most competitive in the country. Since there is also an open seat with no incumbent, Barrett said that also takes the race to another level and the District will be critical going forward for which party has control of Congress.

Meanwhile, the 45-year-old Hertel comes from a family of officeholders. His father, a brother and two uncles served in the Legislature, and a third uncle was in the U.S. House. He defined his family's legacy as “a strong belief in Democratic ideals but also a willingness to work across the aisle to make things better.” He told the Associated Press “We need to be able to debate and listen because, at the end of the day, we have to find the best middle ground to actually solve problems for people”.