Former Michigan Senate colleagues Barrett, Hertel enter 7th Congressional District race

LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Two political heavy hitters threw their hats into the ring Monday to represent mid-Michigan in Washington, D.C.

This district race proved very expensive in the 2022 cycle. costing millions of dollars, and this election could be no different as two former Michigan Senate colleagues go head-to-head.

“What’s working in Michigan, we need a little bit more of in Washington, D.C., and that’s why I am announcing today that I am running to represent mid-Michigan in the United States Congress,” said former State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., during his launch party Monday. 

Hertel, who is a Democrat and used to represent the East Lansing area, and fellow former State Sen. Tom Barrett, a Republican who used to represent the Charlotte area, will be squaring off in 2024.

“I’m Tom Barrett, running for Congress because I think we need to bring the values that we have here in mid-Michigan. You know, families like mine, families that are really struggling right now in mid-Michigan to take those values with us to Washington,” Barrett said. 

Barrett might be a familiar face for Michigan voters, as he ran against Democratic incumbent Elissa Slotkin in the 2022 race. He lost that election by about five points. 

This year, Slotkin is not running to keep her seat. Instead, she is running for U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s seat after the longtime senator retires. 

“I was outspent more than 4 to 1 [in that race]. I’m a regular guy, got four kids, live in a small town outside of Lansing, and the entire Democratic Party across the country piled in to spend more than $20 Million driving me into the ground,” Barrett said. “So, you know, it took all that effort for us to fall a little bit short this next time around, we’re ready to go and we’re going to win this thing.”

Although both served for years in the Michigan Senate, that is perhaps where the similarities end between these two. Hertel is pro-choice and focused on things like lowering the cost of prescriptions and bringing supply chains stateside.    

“I have a history of public service and working to make people’s lives better, and I’ll be focused on that,” Hertel said. 

While Barrett tells CBS News Detroit he has his sights set on security, both at the southern border and on our streets. He is pro-life and aims to tackle inflation. 

“I’m ready to put my experience and my background and the values that I want to bring to Washington and take them with me and represent families just like mine,” Barrett said. 

Before his work in the Michigan Senate, Hertel served on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and for the Department of Community Health. Barrett served in the U.S. Army before his time in the Michigan Capitol. 

“Curtis and I know each other well we served for years in the state Senate. You know, there’s a level of respect but we certainly were adversaries then, and we have a very different worldview,” Barrett said. “My view of the role of government is vastly different than Curtis’s. That will be on full display as we go throughout the campaign. And I look forward to a robust debate and a challenge from whomever the Democrats nominate.”