The Gongwer Blog

Barrett, Slotkin Putting It All Out There In Tight 7th District Race

By Alyssa McMurtry
Staff Writer
Posted: October 24, 2022 3:01 PM

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Sen. Tom Barrett are fighting for one of the most contested seats in the country, and both candidates are feeling the heat.

Mr. Barrett (R-Charlotte) is hoping to win back the seat for Republicans after Ms. Slotkin (D-Lansing) flipped it in 2018 and held onto it in 2020. The tossup, redrawn 7th U.S. House District includes the state's capital city of Lansing and Ingham County, as well as Livingston and parts of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland and all of Clinton and Shiawassee counties.

The district on paper has a slight edge for Republicans, but Ms. Slotkin is an incumbent who has won the previous district with a similar GOP tilt twice. Ms. Slotkin is a prolific fundraiser while Mr. Barrett is a well-known commodity as a former state House member and current state senator. This race is likely to come down to the wire with the winner potentially prevailing by a slim margin.

Mr. Barrett told Gongwer News Service Friday there has been a lot of time spent raising money to fund the campaign. Multiple outlets reported that the 7th U.S. House District is expected to be one of the most expensive races in the state, with more than $25 million anticipated as each party vies to win the seat.

"My opponent is sitting on, I think, $4 million in her last campaign report," Mr. Barrett said. "As the challenger in the race, I need to continue to grind away at raising the resources to keep our message up on the air, so I spend a chunk of the day trying to build the resources we need to remain competitive and get our message out."

Gongwer asked Mr. Barrett if he was intimidated by the millions Ms. Slotkin is sitting on.

"No, I don't get intimidated," Mr. Barrett said.

Ms. Slotkin reported another quarter where she raised more than $1 million (see separate story). She told Gongwer Monday that whether she liked it or not, this race is one of the most expensive in the country.

She said her opponent has Republican super political action committees making up the difference for him, with Ms. Slotkin saying he does not have to fundraise very much for himself thanks to the super PACs.

Mr. Barrett said there is no typical day of campaigning for him, saying it largely depends on what the priority is at that particular moment. Mr. Barrett said he'll do stops for voter contact, including forums at conferences and visits to local restaurants.

Ms. Slotkin (D-Lansing) said a lot of her days consist of going back and forth between campaigning and her congressional duties. Campaigning for Ms. Slotkin includes a mixture of knocking what she calls "persuasion doors" (voters who could go either way) and attending large public venues and small campaign events, most recently a rally at Michigan State University with Attorney General Dana Nessel and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing).

On the trail, Mr. Barrett said the number one issue he hears about is the cost of living, whether it's inflation, groceries or gas. He said the country got into the inflationary crisis because of endless spending, saying there was "no way to ignore" that inflation is as high as it is because of the trillions of dollars the federal government has spent so far.

"Most recently what we see with their Inflation Reduction Act … I mean there ought to be some truth in legislating to say that you can't name a bill something that it demonstrably does the opposite of. It's not going to reduce any inflation," Mr. Barrett said. "No economist said it's going to reduce inflation, Elissa Slotkin herself said it's not going to reduce inflation, but they call it the inflation reduction act."

He also pointed to the Federal Reserve raising interest rates to try and "dry up the money supply," saying Congress is dumping more money into the supply at the same time.

"Interest rates are going to continue to climb and interest rates are going to continue to be high," he said. "We have to stop dumping more and more money into the economy to bring down the rate of inflation."

To combat rising gas prices, Mr. Barrett promotes developing and exploring oil and gas resources within the U.S. He said the Democrats are currently encouraging the president to deplete the Strategic Oil Reserves now so gas prices are not high when residents go to vote in the midterm election.

Mr. Barrett is also opposed to shutting down Line 5 – the 70-year-old pipeline running under the Straits of Mackinac that critics fear could leak oil any day – and other pipelines, for that matter. He called Line 5 a "critical pipeline" for gas and propane. His family heats their home with propane in the winter, saying "if Elissa Slotkin had her way, it would be unaffordable for us to heat our home."

Ms. Slotkin was asked if she was concerned about Democrats this upcoming election, especially since the party that does not hold the presidency typically fares better during the midterms. The matter is also more complicated with the rising inflation, and Ms. Slotkin said it is one of the top three concerns she hears about.

"I think the question when it comes to being a leader, what is the approach one should take when you got this big economic situation happening," Ms. Slotkin said. "For me, if there was a silver bullet, I would have fired it, but there's not so we have to constantly work on finding something that affects people's lives."

For Ms. Slotkin, that includes "attacking" the price of gas, what she calls the underlying issue causing inflation. Ms. Slotkin was an original sponsor of legislation to suspend the federal gas tax, something Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer also called for earlier this year.

She also discussed how she is displeased with the decisions made by Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut back on the number of barrels produced. Ms. Slotkin said she felt that Mr. Barrett was almost cheering at the announcement made by OPEC which led to rising gas prices in the U.S., saying that is not the behavior of someone who wants to lead.

Gongwer asked Ms. Slotkin about the Inflation Reduction Act and criticisms that the bill would do nothing to reduce inflation. She said it is a bill that is paid for, especially since it requires the top 150 businesses in the country that have revenues over $1 billion to pay at least 15 percent tax.

"It's paid for, so I don't think it's going to add to inflation, but I think it's a bridge too far to say that it's going to reduce inflation," Ms. Slotkin said.

She hailed the recent legislation that capped the price of insulin at $35, capped how much seniors spend on medication per year and allowed for Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

"That's trying to take those costs off the books," Ms. Slotkin said.

However, Ms. Slotkin said the price of health care and prescription drugs are still way too high for Michiganders, saying there needs to be major reform of the system. She said insulin alone costs about $5 to produce a vial and many Michiganders with insurance are still paying $300 per vial.

"I'm not talking about putting everyone on a state-provided health care, I'm talking about there has to be some guardrails for what this company can charge us, and nothing is more perfect personification than insulin," Ms. Slotkin said.

Michigan is the only state in the country where citizens are not allowed to sue drug companies for dangerous or defective drugs and Ms. Slotkin said residents should be allowed to hold these companies accountable for statewide problems such as the opioid epidemic.

During one of the two debates with Mr. Barrett and Ms. Slotkin, he shared that he did not appreciate the mischaracterization that he was against bringing jobs to his district, a reference to his votes as state senator against the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve.

When asked if he would have preferred General Motors establish their plant in a different district, Mr. Barrett said no.

"I welcome every business, every corporation, every small business, every medium-sized business, to come to Michigan, to come to my district, to grow, prosper, compete provide a livelihood for the people they employ," Mr. Barrett said. "To suggest that any legislator would not support jobs in their district is absurd."

Mr. Barrett said he has a very "pro-rural, free market" voting record, but he does not support taking money "out of the back pocket" of taxpayers and giving it to private, global corporations that he called "highly profitable."

"Our corporations are at a 70-year profitability high right now. Families are at a 40-year low because of the rising cost of living, inflation and other expenses that they're encountering, so why are we taking working families' money and giving it to global corporations?" Mr. Barrett said.

He recounted how fellow legislator Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) said the bill related to the SOAR fund was "stuffing the stockings of corporate America." Mr. Barrett said other Democrats who supported the bill, and the subsequent fund, were doing so with the intention of picking "winners and losers."

Mr. Barrett said it was not incentives that typically brought corporations to certain states. Site Selection Magazine produced a Top 10 list for reasons why corporations pick locations, Mr. Barrett said, adding that talent and talent development were the top two factors. Others included infrastructure and energy costs, saying at the bottom of the top factors list was incentives.

"When Ford made their decision to move from Tennessee to Kentucky, one of the leading factors they cited was the cost of energy," he said. "And Michigan is one of the least competitive states for energy in the Midwest."

He called the SOAR fund a "billion-dollar slush fund," saying the state has already given GM almost $4 billion in prior incentive deals, excluding the newest incentive they just received from the state.

On top of that the jobs they're creating under this plan are going to cost taxpayers $166,000 for each job and the jobs are only going to pay the positions $46,000 and they're not UAW positions, Mr. Barrett said.

Ms. Slotkin was also brought up a mischaracterization she strongly disagreed with during the debates. News broke in September that Ms. Slotkin was renting the condo of a campaign donor. Ms. Slotkin has slammed what she calls implications from the Barrett campaign that she was sharing the residency with the donor despite both of them being married.

Gongwer asked Ms. Slotkin why she chose rent from someone who had contributed to her campaign. Ms. Slotkin said neither she nor the lessor had done favors for the other, saying she pays fair market value for the condo's rent. She said Mr. Barrett has a "fledging campaign," and that "he is trying to pick an issue that he thinks he's won.

"What I find offensive is that I asked him on live television to please stop him and his allies from putting my address online," Ms. Slotkin said. "As someone who has had someone convicted for following and threatening me for a year, maybe he doesn't understand the security risk that goes along with being an elected official, if he wants to be an elected official he should smarten up on these things."

Ms. Slotkin said Mr. Barrett or possibly a supporter had a truck placed outside her home that followed her to an event at MSU, saying she has had to change her security protocols.

"I think it really shows more about his character than about any substance of an issue," Ms. Slotkin said/

"If my staff or allies ever did that, I would get on the phone like a leader and require them to be taken down and all it takes is one phone call from him and he hasn't done it," Ms. Slotkin said.

Gongwer asked Mr. Barrett about his stance on a national abortion ban. He said with the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the matter will in fact be determined by the states.

"I don't want to over or under assume any potential policies at the federal level, but I will say to me this is something that will predominantly be decided by the states," Mr. Barrett said, adding that Proposal 22-3 would "radically allow for late-term, taxpayer funded abortions with no parental consent for minors."

Mr. Barrett said he believes in life-affirming options and is a supporter of crisis pregnancy centers, saying they are simply organizations to help women at a true time of need.

He blasted Ms. Slotkin for calling pregnancy crisis centers "fake clinics" and that she only supports abortion as an option for women facing crisis pregnancies. Many Democrats have condemned crisis pregnancy centers as duplicitous health centers that encourage a woman to carry a child to term without properly weighing all their options.

Ms. Slotkin, a supporter of Proposal 3, has asserted the proposal would be aligned with the standard set by Roe. She said those that claims the proposal would allow for an abortion up until the day of birth is completely "untrue," and that her campaign is putting out a post including the language verbatim so people can read it for themselves.

"It talks about abortion up until the point of viability just like Roe," Ms. Slotkin said. "There is no such thing as abortion on demand or abortion up until the ninth month. It says very clearly in the amendment that the only people who can get an abortion after viability are the ones where the mother's life is at risk and it's a medical professional that deems that mother at risk."

She said the proposal does not change or get rid of parental consent and any minor who wants to get a medical procedure of any kind including an abortion must have the consent of their parents unless they take it to court and get a judicial bypass, which she added happens typically if the parents are abusive or incestuous with the child.

Ms. Slotkin said she met with Republican women in Brighton to talk about proposal. While many of them identified as pro-life, Ms. Slotkin said the women felt the 1931 abortion ban is too black and white and does not account for "real women's lives."

"When we get out of looking at this issue as a political issue and just look at it as a human being issue, most women no matter what their private views, no matter what they would do with their life, whatever their relationship is with God, they don't believe they've walked in another woman's shoes and would never tell another woman how to live," Ms. Slotkin said.

Compared to his campaigns for the state Legislature, Mr. Barrett noted that many issues such as border security are issues, he can deal with at the federal level. He also said the campaigning style is different, especially door knocking, with Mr. Barrett estimating he would need to knock 800,000 doors.

"I'm doing this because I think it matters. We're on the wrong track, the country is simply on the wrong track, and I can't ignore what's going on in America today and sit on the sidelines and watch what happens," Mr. Barrett said.

For Ms. Slotkin, she said compared to the last two candidates she was up against, Mr. Barrett is not as "forthright" about his stances on issues such as abortion and exceptions for rape and incest.

"Instead of just owning his positions with decency and character, he tries to hide, but we know what he will do when he's elected," Ms. Slotkin said. "I wish he had the strength and character to just own his positions like a real leader."

With only a few weeks to go until Election Day, Mr. Barrett said he felt similarly now to how he felt in 2014 running against an incumbent for state House.

"It's a very uncomfortable feeling. There's a lot of uncertainty in these elections," Mr. Barrett said. "But I also know at the end of the day, I'm very confident and I rest easy knowing come Election Day the people of my district will have a choice to make – to continue on the same path we're on with a member of congress who has directly enabled Joe Biden and stood behind him on 100 percent of the votes in Congress, or do we have somebody that's going to go to Congress to be a check against the Biden administration."

Ms. Slotkin said she is one of five Democrats left who is represents a 2020 district won by former President Donald Trump, saying she it is a "shrinking breed." She said she was still proud of the fact that she has always ran in such a competitive seat, saying it means she works for and the work that she's done really matters.

"There's no such thing as an easy race in this district so it'll be a nailbiter and it always is," Ms. Slotkin said. "The Michigan State students will be critical, and they weren't here in 2020 because of COVID, so their role is really important. So, we're just going to run through the tape and do the best we can. I hope to earn people's votes."

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