Tom Barrett is a republican candidate in the race for Michigan’s 7th congressional district. A state senator for the 24th district of Michigan, and a veteran of the U.S military, Barrett’s campaign strives to use his past experiences to carry on his new aspirations for congress.

Barrett has voiced his strong opinions on relevant issues, such as inflation, crime, taxes, and abortion.

“The biggest issue facing this district is the cost of living and inflation,” Barrett said. “We’ve seen, even today, new analysis coming out that inflation, again, is on the rise. …It is now high enough to rob every working American of an entire month’s pay over the course of a year.”

Although Barrett stands strongly against the rise of inflation, his campaign centers around several other issues as well.

“Lansing Michigan is the central geographic city in this district where I’m running, and it’s now the 9th most dangerous city in America,” Barrett replied when asked about the concern of crime in Michigan. “We need to hold people accountable for their behavior, and when they break the law they need to be held accountable. We also need to get back to supporting our law enforcement officers. There’s been over 50,000 assaults on police officers in the last year, nationally.”

Aside from Barretts opinions on current issues nationally, he also shared his opinions on the education and futures of high school students. He vocalized on the wide variety of opportunities for students after high school, and that college doesn’t always have to be a go-to.

“There are great community college options, but more than that, there are options in skilled trade where you can learn a really good skill and graduate with virtually nothing in student loan debt,” Barrett said. 

            Barrett also praised the outcome of joining the military. 

“I did 2 years of active duty in the army before coming home and starting college, “Barrett explained. “I was still part time in the army and did college and the army at the same time. I didn’t really feel like I was prepared to go to college, but I was excited about the opportunity to be in the military and serve my country.”

            Barrett encouraged high school students to take healthy risks. 

“During one’s youth is the most important time to try new things and make mistakes,” Barrett encouraged. “That way, by the time you’re an adult and maybe have a family of your own, you’ve had experiences that prepared you for that stage of your life.”

            Barrett’s team continues to prepare for the upcoming election on Nov. 8, 2022.

 Political ads and mailbox flyers have boasted Elissa Slotkin’s re-election campaign, but what does she stand for, and why is she running? 

   “Representative Elissa Slotkin is honored to serve the residents of Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, a district that includes Ingham, Livingston, and North Oakland Counties,” Slotkin’s website says. She has been a representative of the state of Michigan since 2019, and is running for re-election this November.

  Representative Slotkin’s main focus is the development of the middle class. 

  “The most important thing to me.. Is building the middle class… we invented that idea that you could negotiate for a reasonable workweek, and we see people who cannot reach that,” Slotkin stated.

  In the current political climate, nearly every issue is highly polarized due to the stark differences between the two parties. Representative Slotkin is famously bipartisan, and votes for issues not commonly supported by the Democratic party despite being a member of the Democratic party. 

  One example of a highly controversial issue is policing. 

  “I brought in 1.3 million dollars to the Lansing Police force so they could hire three or four social workers for crisis response. I co-sponsored a bill to get more money into our smaller rural police forces because places like Grand Ledge and DeWitt and, you know, Eaton Rapids they cannot hire enough police… the police officers… they got real holes in their staffing and we’d help him with that so that we can manage the crime that is presenting itself.”

  WILX reports that Lansing has the 9th highest crime rates in the country. When asked about the correlation between rising poverty rates as well as the rising crime rate, Slotkin said, “I think to me it’s impossible to disconnect poverty from crime.” 

  “If you’re a 17 year old man in Lansing and you have no hope for your future and you’ve been raised in poverty and you’re looking at a life of poverty then you’re much more willing to use violence or any means necessary to duke it out on the streets instead of shying away,” Slotkin remarked.

  Proposal three, a proposal stating rules and regulations on how and when abortions can be performed, as well as hormonal gender reassignment therapy, is one of the most highly debated issues on the ballot this election season. 

  Representative Slotkin wants people to know that “What it does is codify the rights that we lost in Roe v. Wade. The right to make a decision about terminating a pregnancy up to the point of viability and then afterwards if a medical professional says the mother is at risk. It’s not radical. It doesn’t say abortion is allowed in the ninth month, it’s not abortion-on-demand and we wouldn’t even be talking about this if Roe v. Wade hadn’t been overturned by the Supreme Court this summer, so I think it’s an important proposition. I will be voting for it and it’s certainly a difference between myself and my opponent.”

  “That to me is a real threat to women, to families, to young people and we need to do everything in our power to preserve the right to make our own choices in Michigan but that we don’t allow that right to be taken away at the federal level.”

  Unemployment is a huge crisis in Michigan, and Slotkin has plans to solve it. “President Biden’s plan was like a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. It was a one-time thing and I’m happy for the people who will benefit from that… there’s specific jobs in tech that we desperately need where we cannot hire, there would be a list of desperately needed professions and kids going into those programs at college or university would get free education, but they would sign a continuing service agreement that they would… serve in those jobs for  five years in the state of Michigan after graduation, right they would serve their communities as a mental health professional… any of these highly demand for high-demand feel and it would it would be a win.”

  Representative Elissa Slotkin wants young people to know “I’m a big believer in leadership and part of leadership is learning how to lead a team of really diverse viewpoints.”