Michigan Republican Congressional Candidate Criticizes Republicans for Supporting His Democratic Opponent

DEXTER, Mich. — Several Michigan Republicans have made the surprise choice to support Curtis Hertel Jr., the Democratic candidate for Congress in the coveted race for the Lansing-area seat.

This isn’t the first time Republicans have backed Tom Barrett’s opponent.

In 2022, then-Representative Liz Cheney gave her first-ever endorsement to a Democrat, Elissa Slotkin for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.

Cheney, the daughter of the leading proponent of the Iraq war, turned on Barrett, an Iraq war veteran, saying, “We need serious, responsible, substantial members like Elissa in Congress.”

Now a Republican team in Michigan has again endorsed a Democrat in the district that Slotkin is leaving to run for Senate.

At a campaign rally on Wednesday, Hertel appeared alongside several Michigan Republicans who supported him for Congress.

“The House is not what it used to be,” said former Rep. Joe Schwarz.

“And we want to get it back to what it used to be and get it back to a situation where we have strong, independent-minded Democrats and Republicans in the House.”

Speaking to The Post, Brett Gillespie, a Republican city councilman from Grand Ledge, explained his endorsement: “I know he’s a member of the Democratic Party, but I think he puts his constituents first. He was a fighter for the Ultium battery plant here in Delta Township, which is right next to my town.”

Barrett appears unconvinced that Republican support will hurt his campaign, even though he narrowly lost to Slotkin two years ago when the same thing happened.

“It’s a little desperate,” he told The Post over the phone as he worked hard to make a pizza for the family dinner.

“The same day this coalition was announced, number one, one of them, withdrew his name. And on top of that, this poll came out that showed I had a substantial lead in the race.”

According to Barrett, his Republican opponents have been compromised by their business interests.

“I think they owe it to people to be upfront and say, look, these are overwhelmingly lobbyists,” Barrett said.

“Jeff Timmer, one of the names on the list, is known for his affiliation with the Lincoln Project. So he has now monetized the position of the token Republican to oppose any Republican candidate.”

The Lincoln Project is a Republican political action committee that advocates Never Trump.

When asked how he would respond to Republicans like Gillespie who call Hertel “bipartisan,” Barrett pointed to his record as a senator.

“I’ve sponsored over three dozen bipartisan bills that have been signed into law, some by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, some by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. I have a track record that I’m not afraid to compare to anyone else, let alone Curtis Hertel.”

While the Republican Party is struggling with internal strife, so are the Democrats.

President Biden’s recent rally in Detroit did not feature a single prominent Democrat running for re-election.

The president of the United Auto Workers was also absent.

Barrett, who will join Donald Trump at his rally in Grand Rapids on Saturday, said: “There was nobody there. Biden was in Detroit. My opponent wasn’t there, Slotkin wasn’t there. None of them want to be seen with him.”

These internal divisions spell trouble for Democrats in Michigan, a “producing Midwestern state that is exactly the type of state that Trump is appealing to,” Barrett said, before pausing and adding, “Sorry, this pizza caught fire while I was talking to you.”

Barrett’s opponent Hertel sidestepped a question about whether he would campaign with Biden by changing the subject to soft serve ice cream, saying, “If a president were to come to this district and want to have a conversation, we’d be happy to do that. I look forward to seeing him and having a Tasty Twist down the street.”