# Tom Barrett ## Summary U.S. Representative from Michigan's 7th Congressional District (Lansing area) since January 2025. Freshman Republican. Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 with 22 years of service as a helicopter pilot (1,000+ flight hours; deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, Korea). Former Michigan state legislator. Won the 2024 open-seat race against Curtis Hertel Jr. (D) 50.3–46.6, flipping the seat [[Elissa Slotkin]] had held through 2022. Previously lost MI-07 to Slotkin in 2022 by ~5 points / ~20,185 votes. ## Career highlights - Born Southfield, Michigan; grew up in large family - U.S. Army (22 years), retired Chief Warrant Officer 2, helicopter pilot - Western Michigan University BS (2007, GI Bill) - Michigan Department of Treasury analyst - Michigan House of Representatives (2015–2019) - Michigan State Senate (2019–2023) - Lost MI-07 to Elissa Slotkin (2022) by ~5 points - Won MI-07 open seat (2024) over Curtis Hertel Jr., 50.3–46.6 ## Personal Lives in Charlotte, MI with wife Ashley and four children. ## Congressional profile Freshman (119th Congress). Represents a district Cook rates PVI EVEN — the purest swing district in Michigan. Ranked among the most vulnerable House R incumbents per multiple analysts as of April 2026. ## 2026 race See [[MI-07-2026]]. Cook, Sabato, and Inside Elections all rate **Toss Up**. Unopposed in the Republican primary. Polymarket prices the general election at **75.5% Democratic**. Democratic field of seven includes former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, former Navy SEAL / Obama military aide Matt Maasdam, and Sunrise Movement co-founder William Lawrence. Q1 2026: $933.7K raised, $2.8M cash on hand. Michigan primary: August 4, 2026. ## Related KB entities - [[MI-07-2026]] — his 2026 race - TBD: [[Bridget Brink]] — former Ukraine ambassador, Democratic challenger - TBD: [[Matt Maasdam]] — Navy SEAL veteran, Democratic challenger - TBD: [[Curtis Hertel Jr.]] — 2024 opponent, now Michigan Democratic Party Chair ## Sources - [Wikipedia — Tom Barrett (Michigan politician)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Barrett_(Michigan_politician)) - [Ballotpedia — Tom Barrett (Michigan)](https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Barrett_(Michigan)) - [Tom Barrett for Congress](https://tombarrettforcongress.com/)