The person behind the name
Tom Barrett’s public career runs from more than two decades as an Army helicopter pilot, through eight years in the Michigan Legislature, to a first term in the U.S. House from the Lansing-anchored Seventh District, which he took from the Democrats in 2024. [1][9]
Barrett was born on April 30, 1981, in Southfield, Michigan, according to the Library of Michigan’s legislative biography. His official House biography describes a family in which his father worked two jobs while his mother stayed home to raise him and his six siblings, and says he has lived in Michigan all his life. He lives in Charlotte, in Eaton County, with his wife, Ashley, and their four children. The district he represents covers Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties, most of Eaton County and parts of Oakland and Genesee counties; the campaign describes it as anchored by the capital, Michigan State University and a large General Motors footprint. [8][1][7]
Education and professional preparation
His official biography reports that he graduated from Western Michigan University with honors in 2007 through the Montgomery GI Bill; the Library of Michigan records the degree as a bachelor of arts in political science. Before his first campaign he worked as an analyst at the Michigan Department of Treasury, a post The Detroit News described as brief. Transcripts and personnel records were not part of this review. [1][8][46]
Two decades in uniform
Barrett joined the Army after high school; his campaign biography says his first airplane ride was the flight to basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His official biography counts 22 years of service, with postings in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait and the Korean DMZ, and more than 1,000 hours flying helicopters. The Library of Michigan’s entry records 21 years in the Army and retirement from the National Guard in 2022, and when he announced for Congress on November 15, 2021 he told WILX he was leaving the Army after 21 years; the current biographies count 22. Service records were not reviewed, and the figures are reported as each document states them. [6][1][8][52]
From the Legislature to Congress
He was elected to the Michigan House from the 71st District on November 4, 2014, at 33, defeating the incumbent Democrat, Theresa Abed, by fewer than 150 votes, and was re-elected in 2016; in 2018 he won the 24th Senate District and served one four-year term. He lost the 2022 race for the newly drawn Seventh Congressional District to Elissa Slotkin, 192,809 to 172,624, then won the open seat in 2024 against Curtis Hertel, 226,722 to 209,959, and was sworn in on January 3, 2025. He was the only Republican on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot and faces the Democratic nominee, William Lawrence, on November 3. [8][46][51][45][10][9][3][13][11]
A note on a campaign superlative. The campaign biography says he was “one of only five Republicans nationally to flip a Democratic seat” in 2024. This review verified his own result from the Clerk of the House’s official statistics and did not count the other seats; the superlative is the campaign’s. [6][9]
Life & public service
From an Army flight line to the Michigan Senate and a swing seat in Congress, the documented milestones show how the record was built.
Born in Southfield
Born April 30, 1981, in Southfield, Michigan, per the Library of Michigan’s legislative biography. [8]
Western Michigan University
Graduated with honors in 2007 through the Montgomery GI Bill, per his official biography. [1]
Chairman, House Agriculture Committee
Chaired the Committee on Agriculture in the 99th Legislature, per the Library of Michigan. [8]
Senate Bill 858 and the veto
Introduced a bill on April 16, 2020 to cut the governor’s emergency declarations from 28 days to 14; it passed both chambers and Governor Whitmer vetoed it on May 4, 2020. [44]
A letter to Congress, a highway, a campaign
One of 11 Republican state senators who asked Congress in January to investigate election allegations; his amendment naming a stretch of M-50 for Ensign Francis Flaherty was signed into law on July 29, 2021, per his office; announced for Congress on November 15, 2021, saying he was leaving the Army after 21 years. [40][30][52][16]
The seat flips
Won the open seat over Curtis Hertel, 226,722 to 209,959, with 14,231 votes to a Libertarian — 50.3 percent of the vote, computed from the Clerk’s totals. [9]
War powers, an endorsement, a nomination
Voted against the first Iran war-powers resolution on March 5 and for four later ones; introduced an authorization for the use of military force against Iran on May 7; received President Trump’s endorsement on August 3; was unopposed in the August 4 primary; endorsed by Club for Growth PAC on September 4; his Charlotte post-office bill passed the House on September 16. [22][23][24][25][50][39][13][38][30]
Accomplishments, in the record
Roll calls, bill histories, official statistics and the office’s own releases establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the caveat that both of his enacted measures were carried by larger bills.
A helicopter-safety provision in the defense bill
After the January 2025 collision over the Potomac between an airliner and a military helicopter, Barrett introduced H.R. 1898, the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, on March 6, 2025. Its text became Section 1066 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, S. 1071, signed December 18, 2025; it requires the Defense Department to report on the feasibility of collision-avoidance technology in military helicopters within 180 days. Barrett called it “a proud moment for me.” The enactment is documented; it came as a section of another law, not as a freestanding act. [28][50][4]
Veterans’ program extensions in the funding law
Barrett introduced the VA Extenders Act of 2025, H.R. 5420, in September 2025. His office reports that its authorizations — nursing-home care for severely disabled veterans, the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox suicide-prevention grants, rural mental-health funding, housing programs and others — were carried in H.R. 5371, the government funding law signed November 12, 2025, after the shutdown. GovTrack counts the bill as enacted under its inclusive definition, which credits a bill whose provisions were incorporated into another law. He chairs the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. [29][4][2]
What he has sponsored, and what has moved
GovTrack lists 53 bills and joint resolutions he has sponsored in the 119th Congress, classifies 49 percent of them under armed forces and national security, 18 percent under government operations and 10 percent under transportation, and counts two as enacted. On September 16, 2026 the House passed H.R. 9570, his bill naming the Charlotte post office for Ensign Francis C. Flaherty, a Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient; the office describes it as his ninth bill to pass the House, while GovTrack’s bill records, which do not count provisions carried in other bills, list seven of his measures as passed by the House. In August 2026 he introduced H.R. 10119 and H.R. 10118 to bar federal agencies from overriding local zoning of data centers and to bar members of Congress from signing data-center non-disclosure agreements. [4][50][30][31]
Two votes for H.R. 1
Barrett voted Yea on H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, at House passage on May 22, 2025, when it passed 215–214 with every Michigan Republican in favor, and Aye on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment on July 3, 2025, which passed 218–214. Those are recorded votes, not authorship. His statement that day credited the law with “no tax on tips or overtime, permanent tax relief, an expanded Child Tax Credit, and more”; the effects claimed for the law are the office’s, and this review did not measure them. [17][43][18][33]
Iran: one vote with the party, four against it
On March 5, 2026 Barrett voted Nay on H.Con.Res. 38, the first resolution directing the President to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran; it failed 212–219 with two Republicans in favor. His statement said that “President Trump has earned the opportunity to resolve this conflict quickly and with minimal casualties.” On May 14 he voted Yea on H.Con.Res. 75, one of three Republicans to do so; it failed on a 212–212 tie. He voted Yea again on H.Con.Res. 86 on June 3, on H.Con.Res. 89 on July 23, which passed 214–208 with four Republican Yeas, and on H.Con.Res. 93 on September 15, which passed 220–204 with seven. [22][32][23][4][24][25]
After the July vote he said, “My position hasn’t changed. Only Congress has the authority to authorize military action in Iran. I remain ready to work with anyone to eliminate hostile threats to our nation without getting us into another endless war.” He had introduced H.J.Res. 176, the 2026 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iran, on May 7, 2026; his office describes it as a time-limited authority aimed at Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and the resolution’s text was not reviewed here. On June 4, 2026 he voted Nay on H.R. 2913, the Ukraine Support Act, which passed 226–195 with 18 Republican Yeas. [35][50][26]
A committee chairmanship and a vetoed emergency-powers bill
In the Michigan Senate Barrett chaired the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and, in turn, the Appropriations subcommittees on Justice and Public Safety and on Military and Veterans Affairs and State Police, per the Library of Michigan. On April 16, 2020 he introduced Senate Bill 858 to reduce the duration of a governor’s emergency declaration from 28 days to 14; it passed the Senate 22–15, passed the House 59–41 in a substitute form, cleared the Senate again 22–16, and was vetoed by Governor Whitmer on May 4, 2020. His amendment naming a stretch of M-50 in Charlotte for Ensign Francis Flaherty became law on July 29, 2021, according to his office. The bill history is taken from MichiganVotes, a Mackinac Center project that reproduces the Legislature’s journal record, because the Legislature’s own pages could not be retrieved. [8][45][44][30]
Two terms and the Agriculture gavel
Elected in 2014 by defeating the incumbent Democrat, Theresa Abed, by fewer than 150 votes, Barrett sat on the Military and Veterans’ Affairs, Commerce and Trade, Energy Policy and Insurance committees in his first term and chaired the Committee on Agriculture in his second, per the Library of Michigan. His office says that as a state representative he voted against legislation his own party passed to give what it calls corporate welfare for data-center construction and equipment purchases; The Detroit News reported his later no vote, as a senator, on the state’s large-project incentive program. [46][51][8][31]
Attendance and ideology, measured
Barrett missed 5 of 676 roll-call votes from January 2025 to September 2026, 0.7 percent, better than the 2.1 percent median GovTrack reports for sitting representatives. Voteview’s DW-NOMINATE score places him at 0.498 on the conservative–liberal dimension; 126 of the 227 House Republicans in its file score more conservative and one, Tim Walberg, scores the same, against a Republican median of 0.53 — near the middle of his conference by that measure. Heritage Action scores him 92 percent for the 119th Congress; the League of Conservation Voters scores him 0 percent for 2025. [4][5][36][37]
The border, the Epstein files, the Speaker, impeachment
Barrett voted Yea on S. 5, the Laken Riley Act, on January 22, 2025 (263–156); Aye on H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, under suspension of the rules on November 18, 2025 (427–1); for Mike Johnson in the election of the Speaker on January 3, 2025; and Yea on September 15, 2026 on the motion to table H.Res. 1486, a resolution impeaching President Trump, which was agreed to 232–147. [19][20][21][27]
Family & community
His official biography says he lives in Charlotte, Michigan, with his wife, Ashley, and their four children; the campaign names them as Patrick, Eleanora, Gwendolyn and Louis. [1][6]
In Congress he lists membership in the Republican Study Committee and co-chairmanship of the Hearing Health and Rotary Wing caucuses, along with the Army Aviation, Aviation Safety, Iraq, Korea, Northern Border, Propane, USO and Adoption caucuses among others; GovTrack also lists him in the Main Street Caucus. [2][4]
Neither his official House biography nor his campaign biography states a religious affiliation, and this profile makes no claim about one. The Library of Michigan’s legislative biography, compiled from the 2015 Michigan Manual, lists membership in the National Rifle Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. [1][6][8]
Mission & priorities
“He is committed to restoring America’s values of hard work, freedom, and opportunity for all.” {1}
The campaign website carries a biography and no issues page, so the positions below are drawn from his official statements, bills and interviews; each is followed by what the record shows. [6][34]
01Taxes and the cost of living
His stated priority is permanent tax relief for working families, and the record is two votes for H.R. 1, in May and July 2025, a law his office credits with “no tax on tips or overtime, permanent tax relief, an expanded Child Tax Credit, and more.” In August 2026 he convened an energy roundtable on lowering costs. The law’s effects are the office’s claims, not measured results. [33][17][18][34]
02Veterans
His official biography describes running for office after finding veterans struggling to find work, and he chairs the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. The record shows the VA Extenders provisions carried in the November 2025 funding law, and GovTrack classifies 49 percent of his sponsored bills under armed forces and national security. [1][2][29][4]
03Aviation safety
A former Army pilot, he made the January 2025 Potomac collision a legislative cause. His first bill to become law, H.R. 1898, was enacted as Section 1066 of the Fiscal Year 2026 defense bill on December 18, 2025, and requires a Defense Department report on collision-avoidance technology for military helicopters. [28]
04The border and immigration
In 2024 he told The Detroit News, “We’re either a nation of laws or we’re not. We either have borders or we don’t,” and said deportation priority should go to people on the terror watch list, known associates of terrorists and fighting-age men who came from adversaries of the United States. The record is a Yea on the Laken Riley Act on January 22, 2025 and his votes for H.R. 1, whose border funding his office lists among the law’s provisions. [46][19][18][33]
05War powers and Iran
His stated position since spring 2026 is that only Congress can authorize military action in Iran; he introduced H.J.Res. 176, the 2026 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iran, on May 7, 2026, and voted for four war-powers resolutions after voting against the first on March 5. The Democratic nominee’s platform calls for ending what it terms the illegal and expensive war on Iran, so the votes are contested ground from both directions. [35][50][22][23][24][25][48]
06Data centers and corporate subsidies
He said in August 2026 that “People in mid-Michigan are tired of big corporations and politicians negotiating backroom deals, especially when it comes to data center projects that impact every community differently,” and introduced H.R. 10119 and H.R. 10118 on local control and non-disclosure agreements. In 2024 he defended his no vote on Michigan’s large-project incentive program, citing $175 million to a battery firm with Chinese links. His opponent proposes a 12-month federal moratorium on new data centers; Barrett’s bills preserve local decisions rather than impose a pause. [31][46][48]
07Abortion
Asked in 2024 whether he would support a federal abortion ban, he said, “I’m not going to vote for something that is outside the scope of authority of the United States Congress,” and noted that Michigan voters had settled the state question with Proposal 3 in 2022. He said he would work to protect the Hyde Amendment and conscience rights for providers, require parental permission before a minor is taken across state lines for an abortion, and lower the cost of adoption. He is a member of the Adoption Caucus. [46][2]
08Health care
In September 2026 he joined bipartisan bills to bar artificial intelligence from making or dictating health-insurance coverage decisions that involve medical judgment (the Doctors Not AI Act, September 1) and to draw health professionals to rural areas (the REACH Act, September 17). Both are introductions, not enactments. [34]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes the disputes, the complaints and the answers on the record. What follows is drawn from primary documents and reporting, with the candidate’s response where one was given.
The advertisement with the wrong election date (2024)
An October 2, 2024 Barrett campaign advertisement in The Michigan Bulletin, a Black-owned Lansing-area publication, urged readers to vote for him on November 6 — the day after the election. The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus complained to the Attorney General and the Ingham County prosecutor; on October 14 the Attorney General’s criminal bureau chief sent the campaign a cease-and-desist notice citing the law against actions that would “deter the elector,” and acknowledged the campaign’s plan to publish a correction. The campaign’s spokesman called it a typo: “It was a minor error which has been corrected and will appear in the next issue of The Michigan Bulletin,” and “This is much ado about nothing.” No charge or finding against the campaign appears in the records reviewed. [42]
The FEC complaint over his state committee (2022–2025)
On September 21, 2022 End Citizens United filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, MUR 8072, alleging that Barrett’s state committee, Friends of Tom Barrett, paid the consulting firm Roe Strategic $40,000 in four installments between October 28 and December 15, 2021 — around the November 10, 2021 registration of his federal committee — and that the firm then worked for his congressional campaign, in violation of the soft-money rules. Barrett and the two committees responded on November 17, 2022. The Commission voted 4–0 to dismiss the allegation and close the file, with the certification dated March 13, 2025. A complaint is an allegation; the disposition is a dismissal. [16][15]
The 2020 election: a letter and a remark
In January 2021 Barrett was one of 11 Republican state senators who signed a letter asking Congress for an “objective and transparent investigation into credible allegations of misconduct” in the 2020 election; the final text said “We do not seek to overturn the will of the people,” while an earlier draft posted by two colleagues, and disavowed as never sent, had asked Congress to delay certification. In September 2022 he told the Detroit Free Press that whether the 2020 election was fair was an unknowable thing, saying “We can't know for sure what effect that had,” of absentee ballots he suggested might have been ineligible; his opponent said accepting results was non-negotiable. Michigan’s canvassing boards certified the 2020 result and courts rejected the challenges to it. [40][41]
Abortion attacks answered from the record
A 2024 Hertel advertisement said Barrett “even wrote a bill that would put women and doctors in jail for abortion.” The Detroit News traced the claim to a 2019 amendment he sponsored adding “dismemberment abortion” to Michigan’s partial-birth abortion law and reported that the bill barred prosecution of a woman and of a physician acting to save her life; the Hertel campaign defended the claim by pointing to his support of a 2021 Senate resolution on enforcing the state’s abortion laws. Barrett called the ads “defamatory” and said, “My opponents ads are defamatory, they’re false and they are absolutely insulting to myself.” The Cook Political Report’s House editor said his opposition to abortion had been the issue he was “hammered over” in 2022. The sponsorship is documented; the ad’s characterization is a campaign inference. [46]
Town halls: the empty chair
On April 22, 2025 the Lansing NAACP held a town hall to which Barrett was invited and did not come; dozens of residents addressed an empty chair set for him. His deputy chief of staff said recent congressional events had been “unfortunately hijacked by organized agitators that have blocked out legitimate dialogue,” and that Barrett had met privately with the NAACP president, who disputed the characterization of that meeting as productive. His office reports five interactive town halls since taking office, the fifth on August 18, 2026 with more than 14,700 participants; on primary night the Democratic nominee said Barrett “is not doing the job of representative.” [47][34][11]
The 2026 field
President Trump endorsed him on August 3, 2026, in a Truth Social post preserved by a third-party archive of the President’s posts: “Tom Barrett has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.” He was the only Republican on the August 4 ballot, while William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, won the Democratic primary with 44 percent of the unofficial count over Bridget Brink and Matt Maasdam; Barrett wrote that his campaign welcomed Lawrence to the race and would not underestimate him. Club for Growth PAC endorsed Barrett on September 4, calling him “a proven champion who has spent his tenure in Congress cutting taxes and fighting inflation to make life for Michiganders more affordable,” and Club for Growth Action announced a $600,000 advertisement against Lawrence. A Global Strategy Group poll of August 11–13, released by the Democratic House Majority PAC, put Lawrence at 49 percent and Barrett at 47 — a partisan release, not an independent survey. Through July 15 Barrett had raised $6,306,828 and held $2,871,872. Endorsements and polls describe the contest; they are not evaluations of the record above. [39][13][11][12][38][49][14]
Questions & answers
Who is Tom Barrett?
Tom Barrett’s public career runs from more than two decades as an Army helicopter pilot, through eight years in the Michigan Legislature, to a first term in the U.S. House from the Lansing-anchored Seventh District, which he took from the Democrats in 2024. [1][9] Barrett was born on April 30, 1981, in Southfield, Michigan, according to the Library of Michigan’s legislative biography. His official House biography describes a family in which his father worked two jobs while his mother stayed home to raise him and his six siblings, and says he has lived in Michigan all his life. He lives in Charlotte, in Eaton County, with his wife, Ashley, and their four children. The district he represents covers Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties, most of Eaton County and parts of Oakland and Genesee counties; the campaign describes it as anchored by the capital, Michigan State University and a large General Motors footprint. [8][1][7]
What office is Tom Barrett running for in 2026?
Who is Tom Barrett running against?
He was elected to the Michigan House from the 71st District on November 4, 2014, at 33, defeating the incumbent Democrat, Theresa Abed, by fewer than 150 votes, and was re-elected in 2016; in 2018 he won the 24th Senate District and served one four-year term. He lost the 2022 race for the newly drawn Seventh Congressional District to Elissa Slotkin, 192,809 to 172,624, then won the open seat in 2024 against Curtis Hertel, 226,722 to 209,959, and was sworn in on January 3, 2025. He was the only Republican on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot and faces the Democratic nominee, William Lawrence, on November 3. [8][46][51][45][10][9][3][13][11]
What are Tom Barrett's stated priorities?
The campaign website carries a biography and no issues page, so the positions below are drawn from his official statements, bills and interviews; each is followed by what the record shows. [6][34] The campaign lists: Taxes and the cost of living; Veterans; Aviation safety; The border and immigration; War powers and Iran; Data centers and corporate subsidies; Abortion; Health care.
What does the public record show?
Roll calls, bill histories, official statistics and the office’s own releases establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the caveat that both of his enacted measures were carried by larger bills. After the January 2025 collision over the Potomac between an airliner and a military helicopter, Barrett introduced H.R. 1898, the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, on March 6, 2025. Its text became Section 1066 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, S. 1071, signed December 18, 2025; it requires the Defense Department to report on the feasibility of collision-avoidance technology in military helicopters within 180 days. Barrett called it “a proud moment for me.” The enactment is documented; it came as a section of another law, not as a freestanding act. [28][50][4]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026, with an independent fact-check of every cited claim the same day. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; 11 roll calls were read for it and the defining ones are cited. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Election totals for 2022 and 2024 are the Clerk of the House’s official statistics; the August 4, 2026 primary figures are Associated Press tabulations as published, because the Michigan Secretary of State’s results pages could not be retrieved by automated request. The Michigan Legislature’s bill pages, Ballotpedia, Congress.gov’s public member page, OpenSecrets and the original Truth Social endorsement post were likewise unreachable on this review’s route, so the state bill history is taken from MichiganVotes, the sponsored-bill counts and statuses from GovTrack, and the endorsement text from a third-party archive. Service records, transcripts, personal financial disclosures and the text of H.J.Res. 176 were not part of this review; the 2014 state House margin rests on two news outlets. Historical positions do not imply current ones. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: the Clerk’s roll calls and election statistics, the Federal Election Commission’s files, the Library of Michigan’s legislative biography and the member’s official pages; independent analyses (GovTrack, Voteview) and advocacy ratings are labeled as such; reporting supplies responses and scrutiny; campaign and advocacy material is used for stated positions and endorsements.
- 01Biography | Representative Tom Barrett (official House biography)barrett.house.gov · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
Official biography: 22 years in the Army with service in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait and the Korean DMZ; more than 1,000 helicopter hours; four years in the Michigan House and four in the Senate; Western Michigan University honors graduate, 2007; wife Ashley and four children in Charlotte; the district's counties.Government record - 02Committees and Caucuses | Representative Tom Barrettbarrett.house.gov · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
Transportation and Infrastructure (Aviation; Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management; Highways and Transit) and Veterans' Affairs (Economic Opportunity; chairman, Technology Modernization); caucus memberships including the Republican Study Committee.Government record - 03GovTrack role record for Michigan's 7th District (API)GovTrack.us · accessed September 17, 2026
Term from January 3, 2025; birth date April 30, 1981; the OpenSecrets identifier N00049596 used in this profile's reference list.Independent analysis or rating - 04Rep. Tom Barrett — member page, missed-votes record and key votesGovTrack.us · accessed September 17, 2026
Attendance: 5 of 676 roll calls missed, January 2025 to September 2026 (0.7 percent); two bills counted as enacted under GovTrack's inclusive definition; sponsored bills by issue area; the four Iran war-powers votes listed as Yea; Main Street Caucus membership.Independent analysis or rating - 05DW-NOMINATE member data, 119th Congress (H119_members.csv)Voteview (UCLA) · accessed September 17, 2026
First-dimension score 0.498 on 570 scored votes. The ranking among the 227 House Republicans in the file, and the Republican median of 0.53, were computed from this file for this profile.Independent analysis or rating - 06Congressman Tom Barrett — campaign website (home page and biography)Tom Barrett for Congress (campaign) · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign biography: basic training at Fort Sill; the claim of being one of five Republicans to flip a Democratic seat in 2024; the names of his four children; campaign e-mail and social accounts. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 077th District — Tom Barrett for CongressTom Barrett for Congress (campaign) · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's description of the district: Lansing, Michigan State University, a General Motors footprint, and the cities it lists. A campaign characterisation of competitiveness.Campaign or advocacy material - 08Michigan Legislative Biography — Tom BarrettLibrary of Michigan (Michigan Legislators database) · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
Born April 30, 1981, Southfield; age 33 at election; House 71st District elected November 4, 2014 and sworn January 14, 2015; Senate 24th District elected November 6, 2018 and sworn January 9, 2019; committee chairmanships; residence in Charlotte, Eaton County; analyst at the Michigan Department of Treasury; 21 years of Army service and retirement from the National Guard in 2022; memberships as recorded from the 2015 Michigan Manual.Government record - 09Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2024Clerk of the U.S. House (Office of Art and Archives) · 2025
Michigan, 7th District: Tom Barrett, Republican, 226,722; Curtis Hertel, Democrat, 209,959; L. Rachel Dailey, Libertarian, 14,231. Official statistics compiled from state returns.Government record - 10Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 2022Clerk of the U.S. House (Office of Art and Archives) · 2023
Michigan, 7th District: Tom Barrett, Republican, 172,624; Elissa Slotkin, Democrat, 192,809; Leah R. Dailey, Libertarian, 7,275.Government record - 11Progressive Will Lawrence nabs Dem nomination in key Michigan House seatThe Detroit News (Beth LeBlanc) · August 4, 2026
The Associated Press call for Lawrence; unofficial shares of 44, 29 and 28 percent; Barrett's 2024 margin of 3.7 points; Barrett's social-media response; Lawrence's criticism of Barrett.Independent reporting - 12William Lawrence wins Democratic primary for Michigan's 7th Congressional DistrictWKAR Public Media (Emma J Nelson) · August 4, 2026
The primary result as called by the Associated Press at 11:23 p.m.; Lawrence's campaign themes (data centers, corporate PAC money); Barrett's post congratulating Lawrence.Independent reporting - 13Michigan House District 7 Primary Election Results 2026NBC News (Associated Press tabulation) · August 4, 2026; accessed September 17, 2026
The Republican primary listed with Barrett as the only candidate; the Democratic primary at 99 percent reporting: Lawrence 55,921, Brink 36,870, Maasdam 35,307. Unofficial tabulation; the Michigan Secretary of State's results site could not be retrieved for this review.Independent reporting - 14BARRETT, THOMAS MORE — candidate overview, H2MI07123 (2026 cycle)Federal Election Commission · coverage through July 15, 2026; accessed September 17, 2026
Principal committee Tom Barrett for Congress (C00793976): receipts $6,306,827.61, disbursements $3,457,355.55, cash on hand $2,871,871.94 for January 1, 2025 to July 15, 2026; leadership PAC B Brigade Majority Fund.Government record - 15MUR 8072 — case summary and dispositionFederal Election Commission · closed 2025; accessed September 17, 2026
Respondents Tom Barrett for Congress, Thomas M. Barrett, Friends of Tom Barrett and treasurer Daniel Wholihan; complainant End Citizens United; the Commission's 4–0 vote to dismiss the allegation and close the file; certification dated March 13, 2025.Government record - 16MUR 8072 — Complaint of End Citizens UnitedFederal Election Commission (document 8072_01) · September 21, 2022
The complaint's allegation that Barrett's state committee, Friends of Tom Barrett, paid Roe Strategic in the weeks before his federal committee registered on November 10, 2021; his announcement of November 15, 2021 and statement of candidacy of November 17, 2021.Government record - 17Roll call 145, May 22, 2025 — H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passageClerk of the U.S. House · May 22, 2025
Barrett recorded Yea; passed 215–214.Government record - 18Roll call 190, July 3, 2025 — H.R. 1, motion to concur in the Senate amendmentClerk of the U.S. House · July 3, 2025
Barrett recorded Aye; passed 218–214.Government record - 19Roll call 23, January 22, 2025 — S. 5, Laken Riley ActClerk of the U.S. House · January 22, 2025
Barrett recorded Yea; passed 263–156.Government record - 20Roll call 289, November 18, 2025 — H.R. 4405, Epstein Files Transparency ActClerk of the U.S. House · November 18, 2025
Barrett recorded Aye; passed 427–1.Government record - 21Roll call 2, January 3, 2025 — election of the SpeakerClerk of the U.S. House · January 3, 2025
Barrett recorded for Johnson (LA).Government record - 22Roll call 85, March 5, 2026 — H.Con.Res. 38, Iran war-powers resolutionClerk of the U.S. House · March 5, 2026
Barrett recorded Nay; failed 212–219; two Republicans voted Yea.Government record - 23Roll call 170, May 14, 2026 — H.Con.Res. 75, Iran war-powers resolutionClerk of the U.S. House · May 14, 2026
Barrett recorded Yea; failed on a 212–212 tie; three Republicans voted Yea.Government record - 24Roll call 282, July 23, 2026 — H.Con.Res. 89, Iran war-powers resolutionClerk of the U.S. House · July 23, 2026
Barrett recorded Yea; passed 214–208; the four Republican Yeas were Barrett, Davidson, Fitzpatrick and Massie.Government record - 25Roll call 307, September 15, 2026 — H.Con.Res. 93, Iran war-powers resolutionClerk of the U.S. House · September 15, 2026
Barrett recorded Yea; passed 220–204; seven Republicans voted Yea.Government record - 26Roll call 207, June 4, 2026 — H.R. 2913, Ukraine Support ActClerk of the U.S. House · June 4, 2026
Barrett recorded Nay; passed 226–195 with 18 Republican Yeas.Government record - 27Roll call 298, September 15, 2026 — H.Res. 1486, motion to table an impeachment resolutionClerk of the U.S. House · September 15, 2026
Barrett recorded Yea on the motion to table; agreed to 232–147.Government record - 28President Trump Signs Barrett's First Bill into Law to Improve Aviation SafetyOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · December 18, 2025
H.R. 1898, the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, enacted as Section 1066 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1071); a Defense Department feasibility report due 180 days after signature.Government record - 29Barrett-Led Provisions to Authorize and Extend Critical Veteran Service Programs Signed into LawOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · November 14, 2025
Provisions of his VA Extenders Act of 2025 carried in the government funding law H.R. 5371 signed on November 12, 2025; the list of reauthorised programs.Government record - 30House Unanimously Passes Barrett Bill to Honor Medal of Honor Recipient Killed at Pearl HarborOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · September 16, 2026
H.R. 9570, naming the Charlotte post office for Ensign Francis C. Flaherty, passed the House; described by the office as his ninth bill to pass the House; the 2021 state highway naming signed July 29, 2021.Government record - 31Barrett Introduces Bills to Protect Local Communities from Data Center OverreachOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · August 20, 2026
H.R. 10119 (Protecting Local Control of Data Centers Act) and H.R. 10118 (No Data Center NDAs Act); the office's statement that as a state representative he voted against his party's legislation for data-center construction and equipment purchases, which it calls corporate welfare; AI bills he cosponsored.Government record - 32Barrett Statement on Iran War Powers ResolutionOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · March 5, 2026
His statement explaining the March 5, 2026 vote against the first Iran war-powers resolution.Government record - 33Barrett Delivers Permanent Tax Relief for Michigan Families, Sends One Big Beautiful Bill to President's DeskOffice of Rep. Tom Barrett (press release) · July 3, 2025
His statement on the final passage of H.R. 1 and the office's list of provisions it credits to the law. The claims about the law's effects are the office's.Government record - 34Press Releases | Representative Tom Barrett (August–September 2026)barrett.house.gov · accessed September 17, 2026
The REACH Act (September 17, 2026), the Doctors Not AI Act (September 1, 2026), the energy roundtable, and the office's count of five interactive town halls with 14,700 participants on August 18, 2026.Government record - 35Rep. Tom Barrett again votes in favor of Iran war powers resolutionWILX News 10 (Lansing) · July 23, 2026
His statement after the July 23, 2026 vote; the earlier votes on H.Con.Res. 86 and 75; his office's description of H.J.Res. 176, an authorization for the use of military force he introduced in May 2026.Independent reporting - 36Scorecard: Rep. Tom Barrett, 119th CongressHeritage Action for America · accessed September 17, 2026
Session score 92 percent; lifetime 92 percent.Independent analysis or rating - 37National Environmental Scorecard: Tom BarrettLeague of Conservation Voters · accessed September 17, 2026
2025 score 0 percent; lifetime 0 percent.Independent analysis or rating - 38Club for Growth PAC Endorses Rep. Tom Barrett in MI-07 RaceClub for Growth PAC (press release) · September 4, 2026
The endorsement; David McIntosh's statement; a $600,000 Club for Growth Action advertisement against William Lawrence.Campaign or advocacy material - 39Donald J. Trump, Truth Social post of August 3, 2026 (archived by Trump's Truth)Trump's Truth, a project of Defending Democracy Together (archive of the President's posts) · August 3, 2026
The endorsement post of the evening before the primary, giving Barrett the President's complete and total endorsement for re-election. A third-party archive maintained by Defending Democracy Together; it records the original Truth Social status and links it. The original post and the Wayback Machine capture could not be read by automated request.Campaign or advocacy material - 40Michigan GOP senators briefly post differing letters to Congress on election claimsThe Detroit News (Craig Mauger) · January 6, 2021
The letter signed by 11 Republican state senators, Barrett among them, asking Congress for an investigation of election allegations; the draft that mentioned delaying certification and the final text that did not.Independent reporting - 41Will Michigan candidates accept the results of the 2022 election? Here's what they saidWXYZ-TV Detroit · September 27, 2022
Barrett's remark to the Detroit Free Press that whether the 2020 election was fair is unknowable, as quoted by WXYZ; Slotkin's statement.Independent reporting - 42Nessel sends Barrett campaign cease and desist notice over incorrect election date in adThe Detroit News (Beth LeBlanc) · October 15, 2024
The October 2, 2024 advertisement in The Michigan Bulletin giving November 6 as the election date; the Legislative Black Caucus complaint; the Attorney General's notice; the campaign's response.Independent reporting - 43Here's how Michigan's congressional leaders voted on Trump's budget billCBS News Detroit · May 22, 2025
All seven Michigan House Republicans, Barrett included, voted for H.R. 1 at House passage; the 215–214 result.Independent reporting - 442020 Senate Bill 858: Reduce time limit on governor's emergency powersMichiganVotes (Mackinac Center for Public Policy) · 2020; accessed September 17, 2026
Bill history reproduced from the Legislature's journal record by a Mackinac Center for Public Policy project: introduced by Sen. Tom Barrett on April 16, 2020; Senate 22–15; House substitute 59–41; Senate 22–16; vetoed by Governor Whitmer on May 4, 2020. The Legislature's own bill page failed certificate verification on this review's route.Independent analysis or rating - 45Michigan's race for Congress: Tom Barrett v. Elissa Slotkin in 7th DistrictBridge Michigan (Lauren Gibbons) · September 27, 2022
Barrett as chairman of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and his other Senate committees; the district's 2020 presidential split of 50.49 to 49.51 percent.Independent reporting - 46Competitive mid-Michigan congressional race attracts big spending, high hopesThe Detroit News (Beth LeBlanc) · October 5, 2024
Barrett's 2024 positions on abortion, the border and state incentives; the 2019 amendment cited in the Hertel advertisement and his response; his work at the state treasurer's office and his 2014 defeat of an incumbent.Independent reporting - 47Residents speak to empty chair for Rep. Tom Barrett at Lansing town hallWKAR Public Media (Andrew Roth) · April 23, 2025
The April 22, 2025 Lansing NAACP town hall he did not attend; his office's explanation and its account of a private meeting with the NAACP president.Independent reporting - 48Home — William Lawrence for CongressWilliam Lawrence for Congress (campaign) · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
The Democratic nominee's platform, including a 12-month federal moratorium on new data centers and ending the war on Iran. The opponent's self-description.Campaign or advocacy material - 49HMP Poll: William Lawrence Leads Tom Barrett in MI-07House Majority PAC (Democratic super PAC) · August 20, 2026
A Global Strategy Group poll of August 11–13, 2026 released by a Democratic committee: Lawrence 49 percent, Barrett 47 percent. A partisan release, not an independent survey.Campaign or advocacy material - 50Bills sponsored by Rep. Tom Barrett, 119th Congress (API bill listing)GovTrack.us · accessed September 17, 2026
The 53 bills and joint resolutions he sponsored in the 119th Congress with their status: seven passed by the House as freestanding measures (H.R. 1039, 1364, 3055, 3481, 3482, 6047 and 9570); H.R. 1898 introduced March 6, 2025; H.R. 5420 introduced September 17, 2025; H.J.Res. 176, the 2026 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iran, introduced May 7, 2026; H.R. 9570 introduced July 2, 2026.Independent analysis or rating - 51In Eaton County, Abed vying to reclaim House seat from BarrettWKAR Public Media (Kevin Lavery) · October 14, 2016
Barrett's 2014 defeat of the incumbent Democratic state representative, Theresa Abed, in the 71st District by fewer than 150 votes; the 2016 rematch.Independent reporting - 52Sen. Tom Barrett announces U.S. House campaignWILX News 10 (Lansing) · November 15, 2021
The November 15, 2021 announcement; his statement that he was leaving the Army after 21 years of service to run for office.Independent reporting
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026, with an independent fact-check of every cited claim the same day. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; 11 roll calls were read for it and the defining ones are cited. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Election totals for 2022 and 2024 are the Clerk of the House’s official statistics; the August 4, 2026 primary figures are Associated Press tabulations as published, because the Michigan Secretary of State’s results pages could not be retrieved by automated request. The Michigan Legislature’s bill pages, Ballotpedia, Congress.gov’s public member page, OpenSecrets and the original Truth Social endorsement post were likewise unreachable on this review’s route, so the state bill history is taken from MichiganVotes, the sponsored-bill counts and statuses from GovTrack, and the endorsement text from a third-party archive. Service records, transcripts, personal financial disclosures and the text of H.J.Res. 176 were not part of this review; the 2014 state House margin rests on two news outlets. Historical positions do not imply current ones. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. The candidate portrait is the official portrait published by the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, a work of the United States Government and therefore in the public domain. No campaign-owned or otherwise copyrighted photograph is used; inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
Voting in Michigan: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State), Bureau of Elections; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Online voter registration deadlineMonday, October 19, 2026 — last day to register online (at Michigan.gov/Vote) and be eligible to vote in the November 3, 2026 general election. After that date, registration is only in person at the local city or township clerk's office, with proof of residency. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections
- Voter registration by mail deadline (postmarked by)Monday, October 19, 2026 — last day to register by mail and be eligible to vote in the November election. A mailed registration application must be postmarked at least 15 days before Election Day. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/register-to-vote
- In-person voter registration at the local clerk's officeFrom Tuesday, October 20, 2026 through 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, new voter registrations must be made in person at the local city or township clerk's office, with proof of residency. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections
- Election Day registrationYes. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, an eligible person may register until 8 p.m., only in person at the local city or township clerk's office and with proof of residency — official documentation, paper or digital, that lists the voter's current name and address. A person in line at the clerk's office by 8 p.m. has the right to register, and is issued a ballot to complete and submit on the spot. The Department of State says registration in that window can also be done at a clerk's satellite office, where the local clerk runs one; look up whether your jurisdiction has one at Michigan.gov/Vote. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/register-to-vote
- Absentee ballots available to votersThursday, September 24, 2026 — absentee (absent voter) ballots must be available for issuance to voters, 40 days before the election. For military and overseas voters who applied 45 days or more before the election, clerks must send the ballot by Saturday, September 19, 2026. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections
- Early in-person voting beginsSaturday, October 24, 2026 — first day of the mandatory early in-person voting period for statewide and federal elections (the second Saturday before Election Day). Communities can optionally offer early voting beginning as early as the 29th day before the election; look up your assigned early voting site, its dates and hours at Michigan.gov/Vote. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections
- Early in-person voting endsSunday, November 1, 2026 — last day of the mandatory early voting period. The state's election calendar adds that early voting optionally may be held on the Monday before Election Day until 4 p.m.; check your early voting site's dates and hours at Michigan.gov/Vote. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/Election-Administrators/Election-Dates.pdf
- Absentee ballot request deadline (online or by mail: received by)5 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026 (the Friday before Election Day) — online applications may be submitted until then, and mailed applications must be received by the local city or township clerk's office by then. In person at the clerk's office, a voter registered at the current address may apply until 4 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2026. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Rules to know
- What to bringVoters are asked to show photo ID at the polls, but are not required to possess a photo ID to vote in Michigan; by law, a voter who has a photo ID must present it. Acceptable photo ID: a driver's license or state ID card issued by Michigan or another state; a federal, state, county or local government-issued photo ID; a U.S. passport; a military photo ID card; an educational institution ID; a tribal photo ID card; or a concealed pistol license. The ID does not need to show the voter's address. An expired Michigan driver's license or state ID is accepted; any other type of photo ID must be current. A voter who does not have photo ID, or who forgot to bring it, can still cast a ballot by signing an affidavit stating that the voter is not in possession of a valid photo ID. The same applies at early voting sites. Separately, a person who registers within 14 days of the election must bring proof of residency to the local clerk's office. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/vote-on-election-day
- Voting by mail (absentee ballot)All registered voters in Michigan have the right to vote by mail using an absentee ballot. Apply online at Michigan.gov/Vote, by mailing a completed application to the local city or township clerk, or in person at the clerk's office. Voters can also decide to be placed on a permanent absentee ballot list; the local clerk then automatically mails them an absentee ballot for all local, state and federal elections. Online applications may be submitted until 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day, and mailed applications must be received by the clerk by then; a voter registered at the current address may apply in person until 4 p.m. the day before Election Day. Absentee ballots are available beginning 40 days before every election. The completed and signed ballot must be received by the local clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day: by mail in the pre-paid envelope (the state encourages mailing at least two weeks before Election Day), in person at the clerk's office, or in one of the clerk's secure drop boxes in the voter's city or township. Only the voter, a member of the voter's immediate family or a person residing in the voter's household who has been asked to return it, a mail carrier on official duty, or an authorized election official may return the ballot. Military and overseas ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 6 days after the election. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
- Early in-person votingAny registered voter in Michigan has the right to vote early in person at an early voting site for statewide and federal elections. For the November 3, 2026 general election the mandatory early voting period runs nine consecutive days, from Saturday, October 24 through Sunday, November 1, 2026; communities may offer additional days, beginning as early as the 29th day before the election. Voters from more than one precinct, city or township may be assigned to a single, shared early voting site, so look up your assigned site, its dates and hours at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the site, voters are issued a ballot and insert it directly into a tabulator. A voter without photo ID, or who forgot to bring it, can still vote after signing an Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture Identification. Early voting sites do not offer voter registration. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/early-in-person-voting
- Track your absentee ballotVoters can track online, at Michigan.gov/Vote (the Michigan Voter Information Center), when the local clerk mails the absentee ballot and when the clerk's office receives it back. The same page shows registration status, polling place location and hours, early voting location and hours, and a sample ballot. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
- If there is a problem with the signatureLocal clerks compare the signature on each absentee ballot return envelope with the voter's signature on record. If the clerk determines that the signature is not valid, the ballot is rejected and the clerk must promptly notify the voter, who is given an opportunity to cure a missing or non-matching signature. For the November 3, 2026 election, the state's election calendar sets 5 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2026 as the deadline for a voter to cure the signature on the absentee ballot return envelope, so that an otherwise valid ballot is accepted for tabulation. The calendar also sets 4 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026 as the deadline to cure a signature deficiency on an absentee ballot application in order to receive the ballot by First Class mail. Read from: michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/Election-Administrators/Election-Dates.pdf
Read from: Elections · August-November 2026 Election Dates · Register to vote · Absentee voting · Early in-person voting · Vote on Election Day — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
Ideas, questions, corrections
If something on this page is wrong, out of date, or missing, the fastest way to get it fixed is to send the document. Corrections that arrive with a source are applied. Suggestions for what the Ledger should cover next are welcome on the same address. campaign@tombarrettforcongress.com
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