TOM BARRETT

United States representative from Michigan Elissa Slotkin has secured a third term in office, defeating Republican opponent state Sen. Tom Barrett in the general election, the AP projects.

Pence traveled throughout Michigan on Friday, Nov. 4, stumping for U.S. House candidates including the incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, who hosted the former vice president earlier in Portage. In doing so, he also took aim at current U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, who Barrett is hoping to unseat in the new 7th U.S. House district. Pence panned Slotkin over what he believed was a false portrayal of moderatism, echoing similar language from advertisements supporting Barrett which say that Slotkin has continuously voted in support of Biden’s agenda. Gretchen Whitmer for vetoing a series of bills which proponents claim would have strengthened Michigan’s election laws, despite opponents – Whitmer included – calling the package an effort to make it harder to vote. Polling done by the same outfit three weeks prior, which contacted 283 voters, showed Slotkin up by 11.

Use these interactive maps to follow election results for Michigan U.S. House District 7 between Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Tom Barrett on Nov. 8, 2022.

PORTAGE, MI -- Former Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to rally Friday, Nov. 4 in West Michigan with U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland. An invitation for the event was touted Wednesday on the Republican Party of Kalamazoo County Facebook page. The “Faith & Freedom Rally” is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 at the Traveler’s Cafe and Pub, 5225 Portage Road, in Portage. Huizenga is facing three challengers in the race for the new, redistricted 4th District. The Hill also is reporting that Pence also is expected to campaign for Republican Michigan House candidate Tom Barrett on Friday in Charlotte, although details of the event were still being finalized.

Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney was in East Lansing Tuesday to support U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing. Cheney told CNN earlier Tuesday she would not remain a Republican if Trump ran for president again. “If we want to ensure the survival of our republic, we have to walk away from politics as usual, we have to stand up, every one of us, and say, ‘we’re going to do what’s right for this country,’” Cheney said. When Slotkin said, “I want to take a moment to appreciate the bravery and fortitude of Liz Cheney,” attendees stood to applaud her for half a minute. “If Michigan State students don’t come out on election day, I might not win,” she said.

Here’s where you can find Michigan general election results for Michigan U.S. House District 7 (Slotkin vs. Barrett) on Nov. 8, 2022.

Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney has endorsed and plans to campaign for Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

Voters in several Southeast Michigan counties appear to be favoring Democratic candidates for the upcoming election, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll, but the numbers are fairly close.

Of the first three districts, RealClearPolitics considers all to be toss-up races, while FiveThirtyEight’s predictive model has them all tilting toward wins for Democrats. She has again found herself embroiled in one of the most expensive U.S. House races in the country in a hotly contested race against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte. Slotkin has spent aggressively since the primary, about $4.5 million, while taking in just about $1.9 million since mid-July. While the fundraising is lopsided and Barrett is being outspent on advertising overall, outside groups have spent slightly more bolstering Barrett’s challenge with attack ads. Related: John James and Carl Marlinga vie for Michigan’s open 10th district congressional seatThere James has raised $5.8 million to Marlinga’s $735,000.

Barrett, R-Charlotte, represented Michigan’s 71st House district from 2014 through 2018 until he won election to the upper chamber that same year. Further polling from the group Target Insyght also indicated Slotkin has a commanding lead over Barrett by roughly 18 percentage points. MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide the Vote411.org voter guide with information about candidates. Both Slotkin and Barrett provided their questionnaire responses, discussing issues such as education, economic security, elections, the environment, energy, social justice and guns. “I am somebody who is pro-life,” Barrett said.

End Citizens United plans to file a campaign finance complaint against state Sen. Tom Barrett, accusing him of violating campaign finance laws in the fledgling days of his congressional campaign. Jason Roe, principal at Roe Strategic, told MLive that the accusations within the complaint are wrong. According to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, using funds from a candidate’s state campaign to help run for federal office is prohibited. End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller characterized the spending as being dishonest and slammed Barrett in a statement sent to MLive. “He dishonestly spent tens of thousands of his state campaign cash on his congressional campaign, then lied about what he used that money for,” she said.

LANSING, MI – Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett will face U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the Democrat’s bid for reelection to Congress from the Lansing area. Donald Trump won by 0.8%, while Slotkin won by 3.6%. The new 7th district is one of three in Michigan rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Cook estimates that MI-7 has a 2-percentage-point swing toward Republicans, an opportunity for Barrett, an eighth-year state legislator from Charlotte, to unseat Slotkin. Slotkin has gained an occasional national profile since assuming office 3.5 years ago, and she leads Barrett by far in fundraising.

She will not face a Democratic primary opponent, though is set to take on Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, come November. And, similar to her, Kildee also reported fundraising in the millions during this fundraising quarter. In his July report, Kildee brought in $1.16 million and ended the quarter with just under $3.3 million left to spend in the campaign season. He reported fundraising $522,302 this quarter while spending $58,888, leaving him with just under $463,414 still on hand. Much like in the 12th U.S. House district, its expected that whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to go on and represent the district.

They stand behind a podium as Ashley Barrett, wife of Michigan state senator and congressional candidate Tom Barrett, criticizes Democrats on high prices, COVID-19 policies and education policy. But although advertised only as “concerned parents” by the Michigan Republican Party, some of the coalition members at these ‘Parents Against Whitmer’ events are also current GOP candidates or are otherwise already entrenched in conservative politics. The party said seven people attended then, but three that MLive spoke to were also current or former local Republican candidates. “It sounds like sort of the same story,” Gertz said of Parents Against Whitmer events. “And that’s why it’s a very potent thing to say that you are parents for or against a particular candidate.

LANSING, MI — Michigan senators passed a resolution Tuesday signaling their support for the Ukrainian people and urging the world to join together against Russia. The resolution condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and urges the world community to join together in sanctioning Russia. The Senate resolution was introduced by Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit and Sen. Paul Wojno, D-Warren. “We stand with the people of Ukraine and democracy because any attack on democracy is an attack on all of us. READ MORE FROM MLIVE:Michigan congressional delegation condemns Russian attack on Ukraine, demands punishing sanctionsMichigan lawmakers express sympathy for Ukrainians amid Russian invasion

More than 1,000 sexual abuse victims of a University of Michigan sports doctor would get a window in which they could sue the school for damages under new bills that the Legislature will consider.

LANSING, MI - If signed into law, a new state Senate bill would not allow the University of Michigan to use governmental immunity in lawsuits filed by survivors of the late Dr. Robert Anderson’s sex abuse. “The university is not denying what happened,” Barret said, referencing the 240-page report UM commissioned detailing Anderson’s abuse. These immunity laws require “survivors to go through a number of different hurdles,” said Parker Stinar, an attorney representing 200 Anderson survivors. Barrett’s legislation mirrors efforts in 2018 to remove immunity protection for Michigan State University during the Larry Nassar lawsuit, Stinar said. The whole effort, whether from the House or the Senate, is about empowering Anderson survivors, Barrett said.

The department strongly recommends that students still wear masks, but the policy will be up to school officials, said Dr. Pamela Hackert, the county medical director.

The Detroit Police Department is seeking assistance locating a suspect wanted in connection to a shooting that happened in a liquor store parking lot in Detroit.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced new coronavirus cases and additional deaths in the state. Here's everything to know.

Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson spent decades serving others and now the City of Detroit is sending him a big thank you, with a big celebration.

Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett is running for a congressional district in the Lansing area.

Barrett referenced his bout with the coronavirus during his campaign video, noting that he recovered before vaccines were available. Barrett is serving his first term in the Michigan Senate representing a district that was split up through the ongoing redistricting process. He previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing parts of Eaton County from 2015-2018. This will likely pit Barrett against Slotkin, a moderate Democrat serving her second term representing Ingham, Livingston and Oakland counties. Before joining Congress, Slotkin served three tours in Iraq with the CIA and held several positions with the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense.

As Democrats struggle to maintain control of the U.S. House, a heated battle is taking shape in one of Michigan’s swing districts. State Sen. Tom...

LANSING, MI — The Michigan House and Senate on Tuesday each passed versions of legislation that would give tax credits to Michigan residents who contribute to a scholarship program for use in alternative, private and nonpublic education. Senate Bills 687 and 688 and House Bill 5405 passed Tuesday morning through House and Senate education committees and were approved by the Senate 20-16 shortly after. Under what’s known as the Blaine Amendment of 1970, the Michigan Constitution prohibits public dollars from being used for private schools. The plan prioritizes scholarships for students receiving free and reduced lunch, students in foster care and students with disabilities. Senate Bill 688, sponsored by Barrett, would create tax credits for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations and the deduction of funds distributed to student opportunity scholarship accounts.

Children could qualify for scholarships to attend private schools and to cover educational expenses such as tutoring under bills approved Tuesday on party-line votes in the Republican-led Michigan Senate.

FLINT TOWNSHIP, MI — Efforts by Michigan lawmakers to alter election laws in part motivated supporters of federal voting rights legislation advanced this week in Washington, D.C., said a mid-Michigan U.S. congressman. State Republicans, meanwhile, maintain their plans are aimed at providing secure and fair elections. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.comThe John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — or HR 4 — remains a law in theory. Republicans in the U.S. Senate killed an earlier House-approved voting rights bill last year simply by not acting on the measure. “I think it’s a bunch of nonsense,” Kildee said about the potential for the filibuster to prevent passage of the voting rights bill.

Much has changed in Milwaukee since the Bucks won their last NBA title a half-century ago.

Shoreline cities and towns in the Great Lakes region will be spending heavily in coming years to fix public infrastructure damaged by recent flooding and erosion, with estimated costs approaching $2 billion, officials said Thursday.

LANSING, MI - Michigan governors would have to notify legislative leaders when leaving the state if a bill approved Wednesday by the Michigan Senate were to become law. Read more: Senate panel argues security concerns in bill requiring governors to report out-of-state travelBarrett’s bill emerged after Gov. She was accused of contradicting her own health department’s travel guidelines discouraging out-of-state travel until a person is fully vaccinated. (It was on) the one-year anniversary of the floods in Midland, which devastated that community, that I introduced this bill,” Barrett said. The other proposed amendment came from Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, which would have required legislative leaders to likewise notify the governor when they travel out-of-state.

LANSING, MI - A Michigan Senate bill requiring governors to report out-of-state travel made it out of committee Tuesday, but not before discussions over potential security concerns. Barrett’s legislation comes as Whitmer continues to face criticism for a March trip to Florida to visit her father. Related: Whitmer visited her father in out-of-state tripThe Michigan State Police noted the importance of keeping Whitmer’s travel schedule confidential, particularly after a group allegedly plotted to kidnap her last fall. The bill is a continuation of Republican’s criticism of Whitmer’s flight to Florida, including going against previous MDHHS travel guidelines discouraging out-of-state travel until a person is fully vaccinated. Read more from MLive:Michigan Senate approves ban on requiring coronavirus vaccine for minorsRepublican group spends $500k on ads criticizing Whitmer’s Florida trip

Gretchen Whitmer’s trip to Florida earlier this year, Republican senators are proposing she and future top executives notify lawmakers when they leave the state. Related: Whitmer visited her father in out-of-state tripBarrett’s legislation comes as Whitmer continues to face criticism for a March trip to Florida to visit her father. Whitmer’s office disclosed the trip was paid for by a nonprofit corporation originally formed to fund Whitmer’s inauguration ceremony and other events, according to the Associated Press. A disclosure form on its website indicates the travel cost $27,521, with Whitmer paying $855 of that amount. Conservative groups have criticized the governor for a lack of transparency surrounding the trip and that she took it during the COVID-19 pandemic despite state recommendations discouraging out-of-state travel until a person is fully vaccinated.

The measure is the latest move by Michigan Republicans to highlight Gov. Whitmer's recent controversial trip to Florida.

The proposal, which could gain support in the GOP-controlled Legislature, comes in the wake of controversy surrounding Whitmer's trip to Florida.

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It previously stated the bill came from federal COVID-19 relief. LANSING, MI - The Michigan Senate unanimously approved a chunk of private money to provide better meals to National Guardsmen deployed in Washington. The appropriation would send $110,000 toward providing meal vouchers to National Guard members, many of whom reported poor food conditions to lawmakers. All of the references to the old federal COVID-19 relief bill were removed, a Barrett spokesman told MLive. The House will have to approve the National Guard allocation substitute before the bill heads to Whitmer’s desk for final signature.

Matt Harvey gets another fresh beginning in Boston on Saturday when he’s scheduled to take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles.

Matt Harvey gets another fresh beginning in Boston on Saturday when he’s scheduled to take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles.

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan restaurant owner who likened the state’s coronavirus restrictions to her childhood in communist Eastern Europe was released Tuesday after four nights in jail for ignoring orders to shut down. Pavlos-Hackney is “Michigan’s first political prisoner of the pandemic,” state Sen. Tom Barrett said on the Senate floor Tuesday, even offering to take her spot in jail. State regulators yanked Pavlos-Hackney’s food license in January for serving indoor diners and breaking other rules related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. But the restaurant, 180 miles west of Detroit in western Michigan, stayed open — and customers flocked there. We are in the middle of a pandemic,” the judge said Friday in ordering jail.

Gretchen Whitmer joined elected officials from Wisconsin and Florida Thursday to discuss the benefits of the newly passed American Rescue Plan during a virtual news conference. Live Stream @ 1:30 p.m.: President Biden signs $1.9T COVID-19 relief billWhitmer, joined Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and St. Petersburg Florida Mayor Rick Kriseman, discussed the federal government’s approved $1.9 trillion virus aid package and its benefits for American families. The House gave final congressional approval Wednesday to the sweeping package by a near party line 220-211 vote precisely seven weeks after Biden entered the White House and four days after the Senate passed the bill. The conference is taking place as Michigan, and much of the country, marks its one-year COVID anniversary. Biden will sign the bill into law on Friday, but the White House didn’t wait, turning the bill signing into a three-day event.

Health care reform. Sen. Jim Stamas listens as votes are taken at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, April 25, 2019. “In the instance of a public health crisis or a public health emergency, it’s absolutely the responsibility of the state health department to take action and have that authority,” she said. The resolution is sponsored by Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and is part of his overall push to improve government transparency and ethics laws. Michigan House battling health care insurance industry to control drug pricesA bipartisan group of state House representatives on Wednesday introduced health care reforms that aim to cap costs on medications and improve transparency in the price-setting process.

LANSING, Mich. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has prioritized frontline health care workers and those 65 years of age and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine first. Gretchen Whitmer’s added use of social vulnerability as part of her vaccine distribution calculations has led to concerns about fairness among some -- especially among lawmakers, since thousands of Michiganders struggling to schedule vaccination appointments are calling legislators daily. But state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) says it is a life and death issue, and social vulnerability is included in the eligibility criteria for a good reason. “Blacks are 1.9 times more likely to die, Hispanic Americans are 2.3 times more likely to die and Native Americans are 2.4 times more likely to die,” Santana said on the Senate Floor Thursday. Duggan also sparred with Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel over vaccine dose distribution.

Proposals to amend the state constitution have been introduced in the legislature’s opening days, and are described below. To become law, constitutional amendments must be placed on the ballot and approved by a majority of voters. To be placed on the ballot a constitutional amendment proposed by legislators must receive a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate. Tax dollars earmarked to this fund could only be spend on K-12 public schools and community colleges. The proposal would make the Friday before the November general election the last day legislative sessions may be held in even years.

Michigan House of Representatives member Graham Filler recently penned a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urging the state government to reconsider the current epidemic order in time to allow more spectators at this weekend’s Michigan high school football state finals at Ford Field in Detroit. The current emergency health order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services limits gatherings at sporting venues to a capacity of 250 people regardless of the venue’s seating capacity. “The arbitrary cap mandated by the epidemic order will prevent many friends and family members from supporting the players in one of the most significant opportunities in their high school careers. “I’m sure it would mean a lot to have their loved ones in attendance for the game this weekend.”---MORE MLIVE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS COVERAGECommunities rally behind Michigan prep football teams ahead of state finals despite COVID-19 restrictionsMona Shores community rises to occasion again in send-off for state finals-bound football teamMLive writers predict high school football champions in video previewing state finalsHow to watch Michigan high school football state finals

The attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump seeking to overturn election results threatens a “constitutional crisis,” a Republican Michigan senator told MLive on Wednesday. Many of those people overwhelmed Capitol police, leading to a building lockdown amid reports of vandalism and an explosive device found nearby. Read more: Explosive device found near Capitol amid protestSen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, said the anger turning into violence in the streets needs to end to avoid that constitutional crisis. “I stand on the side of law and order and completely condemn acts of violence,” Barrett told MLive. There has been no evidence of widespread election fraud that would tip the results in Michigan or any other state.

Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a pair of Republican lame-duck efforts Wednesday to curb her administration’s emergency powers. Whitmer predictably nixed both bills on Dec. 30, and there is not enough bipartisan support in either chamber to override the vetoes. MDHHS has mirrored several of Whitmer’s response measures to limit gathering and COVID-19 spread in subsequent public health emergency orders. Read more: Michigan Senate approves bill that would limit public health orders to 28 daysThe bill would be retroactive, meaning that if it had been signed, Gordon’s orders would cease immediately. Read more: Michigan’s public health orders are legal under state code, but there will be constitutional challenges

In total, COVID-19 has infected 6% of Michigan’s 149 state lawmakers in the House and Senate. “I am responsible for the contact tracing. House Minority Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, credited the House Business Office with enforcing guidelines, but blasted Republican leadership. “I will give credit to to the House Business Office. The only real difference between the internal contact tracing policy, Simon said, and the CDC guidance is that the House Business Office only traces staff and representatives.

Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich says he has tested positive for coronavirus. “I wanted to update you all that I have tested positive for Covid,” Ananich said in a tweet Friday evening. Thank you for your well wishes.”Rosie Jones, Ananich’s spokeswoman, said the senator was told Tuesday that someone he saw over the weekend had tested positive for coronavirus. Read more on MLive:These October metrics are flashing alarms about Michigan’s coronavirus surgeMichigan is setting new coronavirus case records. Will Michigan’s coronavirus surge impact Tuesday’s election?

The commission developed the plan in an effort to provide safe voting sites during the coronavirus pandemic. The Wisconsin Elections Commission said in a memo Monday that all early voting sites were to have been designated by June 12; the plan for Fiserv and Miller Park was implemented Sept. 1. In Atlanta, the Hawks' stadium was used in an August primary and was set to open next week for early voting. Woodall-Vogg noted that the city is still offering 13 in-person early voting locations spread out across the city. ___AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/

Seven people were wounded in a shooting at a Milwaukee funeral home on Wednesday, CBS affiliate WDJT-TV reports. All seven victims were hospitalized and are in stable condition, according to police. Attendees of a funeral were gathered outside Serenity Funeral Home when someone opened fire from a vehicle, police said. Police are looking into whether the shooting was targeted at the funeral, but have no known motive. Acting Milwaukee Police Department Chief Michael Brunson said the department is "working feverishly" to figure who is behind the shooting.

Washington state election officials said that there are 450 drop boxes statewide, and there are discussions about adding more. Typical security measures for drop boxes include video surveillance, locks, tamper-resistant seals and chain-of-custody logs that are completed each time ballots are collected. In Pennsylvania, a federal lawsuit by the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee has cast drop boxes into a legal gray area. Democratic state lawmakers are countersuing to get a judge to clarify that drop boxes are legal. Suburban Delaware County is plowing ahead with its plans for drop boxes without waiting for the outcome of the legal dispute, said County Council member Christine Reuther, a Democrat.

LANSING, Mich. State Sen. Tom Barrett announced Sunday evening he tested positive for coronavirus. The Michigan Army National Guard implemented a COVID-19 screening policy for all soldiers one week prior to their departure for training events, Barrett said. Barrett was the sponsor behind Senate Bill 0858 which aimed to limit the powers Gov. We were informed today that a member of the Senate tested positive for COVID-19. More information on coronavirus (COVID-19):

Gretchen Whitmer’s husband made typifies the ever souring relationship between her office and the Republican leadership in the legislature. Whitmer called it a poor attempt at humor -- and a top Republican said her staff lied. He jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue.”Sen. Tom Barrett put up a post detailing what he said Whitmer’s husband said last Friday. He said late that night he was called on by Whitmer’s staff to remove it because it wasn’t true. The boat drama continued to explode on social media over the weekend and Whitmer’s staff tried to brush it off.

On May 18, Whitmer reopened parts of Northern Michigan due to a low number of coronavirus cases in the region. In a follow-up post, the company reportedly said Mallory was "respectful and understanding" when his request was denied, according to. Whitmer wasn't exactly telling people not to go to Northern Michigan she was just advising them to be careful about not spreading the virus by not going to stores unnecessarily. Eventually, Whitmer eased restrictions on boating and traveling up north as a compromise to her right-wing critics.But that wasn't enough. Apparently Whitmer isn't allowed to be a beautiful "boater."