Michigan GOP Hopeful Barrett to Newsmax: Slotkin ‘Can Keep’ Cheney’s Nod

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Michigan GOP Hopeful Barrett to Newsmax: Slotkin 'Can Keep' Cheney's Nod Tom Barrett Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 28 October 2022 11:22 AM EDT

Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett Friday told Newsmax that U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin "can keep" the endorsement she's gotten from GOP Rep. Liz Cheney in the race for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, as he plans to work once elected to the House to keep the United States out of foreign conflicts.

"I spent 22 years of my life in the Army," Barrett, the GOP nominee for the race, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I committed my entire adult life to the Army. I got deployed to Iraq in Liz Cheney's father's war. And what does she do? She turns around and endorses my opponent in this race against me."

Cheney was defeated in the primary to keep her Wyoming seat after she became the vice-chair of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks and after her strong opposition to former President Donald Trump, and her endorsement of a Democrat brought her under further fire from conservatives.

Barrett told Newsmax that Cheney backed Slotkin as a "desperate attempt to get her across the finish line and preserve Nancy Pelosi's tenure as speaker of the House and the Democrats' majority in Congress."

He added that he has had "tremendous experiences" in the military, but he does not favor sending American troops to every single conflict around the world.

"My opponent and Liz Cheney are the warhawks," Barrett said, accusing the two of being part of the "establishment forces" that want to keep him out of Congress.

"Elissa Slotkin wants war with China, and I want to keep American troops home," he also said.

Meanwhile, Barrett said he thinks his campaign is on the cusp of turning the seat, created through redistricting that encompasses almost all the area he holds in the state Senate, from blue to red.

The race has proven to be the most expensive congressional race in the country, with almost $30 million spent, said Barrett.

"The lion's share of that is by my opponent who is trying to preserve Nancy Pelosi's 10 years as speaker of the House and the Democrats' grip on America," said Barrett. "We can't allow that to happen … we are in a dead heat right now in our polls. We just need the effort to get over the last hurdle."

The district, he added, is a "bellwether" location that must be won.

"The biggest issues that folks are talking about in my district are the costs of living challenges that families like mine are facing," said Barrett. "My wife and I are raising four little kids here, right in the heart of this district."

"The cost of living, whether that's inflation at the grocery store or higher gas prices at the gas pump families simply can't afford to live under Joe Biden and Elissa Slotkin and their policies," Barrett said. "My opponents voted for every single runaway spending bill that Joe Biden has put before her."

Crime is also a serious issue in the 7th District, which includes Lansing, which has been named as the ninth most dangerous city nationally on the FBI's violent crimes list, said Barrett.

"We have a wide-open border," he said. "Fentanyl overdose deaths are literally killing more Americans now than ever before in history. The leading cause of death of Americans my age in this country is fentanyl because we have an unsecured border and Joe Biden and Elissa Slotkin refused to do anything about it."

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