People over party: Republicans endorse Michigan Democrat for congress

A number of Republican and independent lawmakers and officials have thrown their endorsement behind former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing) for his run for Congress, launching the Republicans & Independents for Hertel Coalition Wednesday.

Hertel is currently unopposed in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary with his opponent, former state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), similarly unopposed on the Republican ballot. The seat is open as U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) is running for U.S. Senate, and the race is considered one of the most competitive in the country.

The coalition includes former U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek), who represented Michigan’s 7th Congressional District from 2005 to 2007, former state Sens. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) and Bill Sederburg (R-East Lansing), former state Rep. Chris Ward (R-Brighton), and former Michigan Republican Party Executive Directors Gary Reed and Jeff Timmer.

At a press conference in East Lansing, members of the coalition stressed the need for collaboration across party lines.

“The House right now I would have to say — but you know all former House members are this way — the House ain’t what it used to be. And we want to bring it back to what it used to be, and bring it back to having strong, independent thinking Democrats and Republicans in the House,” said Schwarz, who also served in the state Senate.

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) threw his support behind former State Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing) for Congress at the launch of the Republicans and Independents for Hertel Coalition. | Kyle Davidson

Hertel pointed out the lack of legislation passed through Congress in 2023, with only 27 bills making their way to President Joe Biden’s desk.

“I’m not telling you that every problem in America has a bill, but certainly the idea of only getting 27 things done for people needs to end. It’s working across the aisle that is missing from our politics,” Hertel said.

“That’s how I will represent our community in Congress. Working across the aisle, standing up my own party when it’s needed, and stopping at nothing to actually deliver the results for our communities,” Hertel said.

While Hertel’s campaign has previously floated a tax cut for the middle class, he pointed to immigration reform, bringing jobs home from overseas, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs as other areas with the potential to find common ground.

“I think that on immigration reform, the only way it gets done is actually working across the aisle to get it done,” Hertel said.

While speaking with the Advance after the event, Barrett pointed to his own history of working across the aisle in the Legislature, noting he had sponsored dozens of bills that had passed with bipartisan support, and that he and Hertel had collaborated on legislation in their time serving together.

“I had an independent voting record in Lansing. … I voted against my own party over 300 times,” Barrett said.

“I worked on bills that protected victims of domestic violence. I worked on bills that cracked down on human trafficking. You know, those aren’t partisan issues. Those are issues that need work and attention to get done, and I have a record of doing that,” Barrett said.

He also set himself apart from Schmidt, who served alongside Barrett and Hertel, citing his record of voting against taxpayer-funded business subsidies.

“I’m a working-class, middle-class guy. I’m raising four kids. My wife and I live in small-town America. I joined the Army as a teenager, and had never been on an airplane ‘til I flew to basic training in Fort Sill, Okla.,” Barrett said. “I care about the outcomes of policies, and I really think a lot about what the effect they have on families are. It’s why I’ve been so steadfast against these corporate welfare subsidies that they champion and support.”

“I’m going to stand with the working families of my district more than the corporatist strain of whether it’s the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. It takes advantage of working people to take their tax dollars and give them away to privileged people that can go out and hire the lobbyists to go out and schmooze the lawmakers to get these things done against them,” Barrett said.

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