Republican Tom Barrett Launches Second Bid for Michigan House Seat – WKRG News 5

Republican Tom Barrett announced Monday his campaign to win an open seat in Michigan’s House of Representatives, heralding the start of what is likely to be the most competitive and outcome-prone race of the 2024 election cycle. rice field.

The campaign will be Barrett’s second attempt to win a seat in a hotly contested district after losing to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, by five points in the 2022 midterm elections. Slotkin recently announced his campaign for the Michigan Senate seat vacant by Senator Debbie Stavenau, a Democrat.

Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran and former state senator, announced his campaign in a video posted to Twitter Monday morning. In the video, he focused on foreign policy issues, saying the withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Biden “ignited my heart” and forced him to run.

He also highlighted fentanyl, crime and inflation at the border, saying the government should “focus on issues that matter to families like you and me.”

“I’m not trying to be the lesser of two evils. I’m running because I want my children to have an America worth protecting,” Barrett said.

“I come to Washington to restore my commitment to America and the values ​​that have led us from a fragile New Republic to the greatest nation on earth. I promise to become an MP,” he added.

Barrett put forward his candidacy seats became vacant on FridayThis was expected after one of his strategists confirmed earlier this year that he would seek to run.