Thomas More Barrett (born April 30, 1981) is an American politician serving as a member of the Michigan Senate from the 24th district. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election to the House, Barrett served as a liaison between the

Michigan Department of Treasury The State Treasurer of Michigan functions as the chief financial officer for the U.S. state of Michigan. The State Treasurer oversees the collection, investment, and disbursement of all state monies, and also administers major tax laws, safeguar ...

and the office of the Governor of Michigan. Barrett was the Republican nominee in the 2022 election for

Michigan's 7th congressional district Michigan's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and portions of Central Michigan. From 2004 to 2013 it consisted of all of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, and Lenawee counties, and incl ...

, which he lost to incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Elissa Slotkin Elissa Blair Slotkin (born July 10, 1976) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from since 2023. She represented the from 2019 to 2023, before redistricting. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a ...

Early life and education

Barrett was born in

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its southern border with Detroit. The city was original ...

. He graduated from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

U.S. Army

After graduating from high school, Barrett joined the Army, where he served for 21 years. He served abroad in South Korea, Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait, and Iraq, and is a veteran of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in the

Michigan Army National Guard The Michigan Army National Guard is the Army component of the Michigan National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Army. During the Cold War only the 156th Signal Battalion was federalized on 1 October 1962 at its home stations i ...

, holding the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 2, until retiring in 2022.

Political career

Michigan House of Representatives (2014–2019)

Barrett was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014, narrowly beating Democratic incumbent Theresa Abed. He won re-election in 2016, defeating Theresa Abed in a rematch. Barrett garnered 54% of the vote to Abed's 43% and Libertarian Marc Lord's 3%.

Michigan Senate (2019–present)

Barrett was elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018, and currently chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Barrett was a vocal critic of Michigan Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 ...

's handing of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, and sponsored Senate Bill 858 to regulate the governor's state of emergency powers, which the governor vetoed in May 2020. In January 2021, Barrett was one of eleven state senators to sign a letter to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

requesting an "objective and transparent investigation into credible allegations of misconduct" into the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

. There are no " credible allegations of misconduct" in the 2020 election. Barrett has also claimed that the legitimacy of the 2020 election is "unknowable".

2022 U.S. House election

In November 2021, Barrett announced his candidacy for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the 2022 election for

. He won the Republican primary in August 2022, but lost to Democratic incumbent

in the November general election, receiving 46% of the vote to her 52%. ''

Bridge Michigan Bridge Michigan is a Michigan-based nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization founded in 2011 that focuses on public policy. It is headquartered in Ypsilanti, Michigan and has offices in Detroit and Lansing. History The Center for Michigan, fo ...

'' reported that, as of October 12, 2022, this was the most costly congressional election in the U.S. By November 4, over $36 million had been spent by both campaigns.

Personal life

Barrett lives in

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county, on the boundary between Eaton Township and C ...

, with his wife, Ashley, and their four children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Tom 1981 births 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Living people Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Republican Party Michigan state senators People from Southfield, Michigan Western Michigan University alumni