Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett was born and raised right here in Michigan. He learned the value of hard work and the importance of family by watching his dad work two jobs while his mom stayed home to raise him and his six siblings.

As Tom was finishing high school, he didn’t feel ready for college and didn’t have a career in mind, so he decided to join the United States Army and gain some life experience while serving his country. After graduation he took the first airplane ride of his life as he departed for Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Tom’s service in the military has continued for more than 21 years, and his deployments have taken him to Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, and South Korea. After returning from Iraq, the Army selected him to attend flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama where he learned to fly some of the most advanced helicopters in the world.

When Tom returned to Michigan, he was shocked to find so many of his battle buddies struggling to find opportunities back home. Michigan had the second highest veteran unemployment rate in the nation. Tom decided to act, and ran for the Michigan House of Representatives, where he was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. In 2018, he was elected to the Michigan Senate, winning election by more than ten points in a district won by Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Tom is the only Iraq War Veteran in the Michigan Senate, where he has been a true “voice for veterans.”

In 2016, he was instrumental in investigating concerns at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, where an audit had exposed abuse, neglect, and cover-up. After holding a first of its kind legislative hearing at the Home for Veterans, reform legislation was passed that led to dramatic improvements and also resulted in the construction of multiple brand new facilities for Michigan’s veterans.

Tom stood up to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and challenged her unilateral lockdown orders before it was politically popular. He introduced the original legislative bill that later became the “Unlock Michigan” citizen initiative. In addition, he sponsored legislation this year that was vetoed by Governor Whitmer to require individuals to show a photo ID before casting their ballot in an election. He is 100% pro-life, and Planned Parenthood even declared him their “Chump of the Day” because of his strong Pro-Life advocacy. He was presented the “Award for Conservative Excellence” by the American Conservative Union as both a State Representative and a State Senator.

Tom attended Western Michigan University on the Montgomery GI Bill and graduated with honors in 2007. He lives in Charlotte with his wife, Ashley, and their four young children, Patrick, Eleanora, Gwendolyn, and Louis. In 2021 he announced his campaign for Congress to continue fighting for Michigan families struggling to get by under President Biden’s failed policies.

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District includes all of Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee, and Livingston Counties, most of Eaton County, and portions of Oakland and Genesee Counties.