Endorsement: In Michigan's 7th District House race, Free Press endorses Curtis Hertel Jr

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District encompasses Ingham, Livingston, Clinton and Shiawassee counties and parts of Eaton, Oakland and Genesee counties, an array of mid-Michigan communities that demand representation capable of straddling political aisles and ideological differences with an uncommon level of expertise in negotiation and dealmaking.

For six years, the district has had such service in U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, whose background includes various defense and intelligence positions under Presidents George Bush and President Barack Obama. Slotkin opted to run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, leaving an opening in the 7th District.

Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr., of East Lansing, and Republican Tom Barrett, of Charlotte, are vying to replace Slotkin, in one of the only truly competitive House races in the nation. Cook’s Political Report rates the 7th District a Democratic-leaning toss-up, but the district, from Lansing to rural Clinton County, traces the political spectrum. It’s a line Slotkin ably walked, winning re-election three times against serious contenders.

The Free Press believes that CURTIS HERTEL JR., an experienced lawmaker with bipartisan inclinations and a reputation for getting deals done, is best positioned to replace Slotkin.

Endorsements: Free Press picks for Michigan US House, Senate and House in Nov. 5 election

Knowledgable and experienced

Hertel, 46, has spent decades learning the ins and outs of government. He was elected to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners in 2001, became Ingham County Register of Deeds in 2008 and ran for state Senate in 2014. He has worked for Govs. Jennifer Granholm and Gretchen Whitmer.

A champion of cross-aisle productivity — backed by the legacy of his father, Curtis Hertel Sr., who once shared the state House speakership with Republican Paul Hillegonds — Hertel Jr. defines himself as a problem solver.

“I want to be known as somebody who pushed for bipartisanship, that actually pushed to solve problems,” he told the Free Press Editorial Board in an endorsement interview last month.

Hertel takes pride in playing roles as a Michigan lawmaker and lobbyist in bipartisan legislative triumphs like expanding the Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ+ protections — a provision favored by progressives and the business community — and bringing together farmers and environmentalists for farmland protection measures.

On immigration, which Republicans have successfully made a central issue in all federal races to be decided this November, Hertel supports shoring up the southern border by adding more structures and personnel, but also acknowledges a need to repair “the broken immigration system that doesn’t work,” as well as a need for more immigrant workers.

“We have asylum seekers who come here and have to wait forever for adjudication, and we need to fix that as well,” he said.

He’s put his negotiation skills to work reaching deals to bring auto supply manufacturing jobs to Michigan, and to provide long-term medical assistance to firefighters battling cancer after exposure to toxic chemicals.

He takes pride in a friendship he developed with former Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a staunch conservative with whom he worked closely on issues where there was common ground.

And when there’s little common ground to be found, Hertel is also willing to stick to his guns without bipartisan support on issues he’s passionate about, like abortion rights and gun safety. Hertel said plainly that he would not vote for a national abortion ban.

A father of four, Hertel is keenly aware of rising costs for families, the need for affordable housing and higher education, and paid parental leave.

By the July campaign filing deadline, Hertel had raised $4.2 million to Barrett’s $2.8 million, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Both campaigns will inevitably draw copious outside spending.

Endorsement: Elissa Slotkin, with refreshing ideas, gets Freep nod for US Senate

His opponent

His opponent, Tom Barrett, spent 22 years in the U.S. Army flying advanced helicopters. Barrett, 43, won election to the Michigan House in 2014, serving two terms before running for the state Senate in 2018. He ran for the 7th District seat in 2022, losing to Slotkin by 5 percentage points.

Barrett, who also has four children, told the Free Press Editorial Board this month that he’s running for the seat because “families like mine don’t have a voice in Washington D.C. today.” But when we asked Barrett which issues aren’t aired in Congress, he pointed to inflation and household costs, and the push to electric vehicles — subjects that are the source of furious debate in Washington.

He repeated the false claim that crime in the U.S. is rising, and conveyed oddly mixed messages about the human costs of war. Loss of innocent civilian lives is always tragic, Barrett told the editorial board, but didn't seem to extend that compassion to civilians killed in Gaza, saying he doesn't consider tens of thousands of civilians slain sufficient to prompt a re-evaluation of U.S. policy.

Barrett has some smart ideas about energy affordability — including an interest in making residential solar more affordable for Michigan families.

Perhaps most confounding is Barrett's stance on abortion rights. In 2022, campaigning against Slotkin, Barrett sent out a fundraising mailer proclaiming that he is “100% PRO-LIFE — NO EXCEPTIONS.”

That year, two-thirds of Michigan voters approved Proposal 3, an amendment enshrining reproductive rights in the state constitution, a measure Barrett incorrectly said that year would make Michigan "the most extreme in the entire world for abortion."

But Barrett told the editorial board that he considers the will of Michigan voters who approved Prop 3 binding. When asked if he would vote for a federal abortion ban, Barrett said he does not believe Congress has the power to overturn a provision of a state's constitution. When asked if he would support such a ban if proposed by his party mates, he said he had already answered the question.

Hertel, in contrast, tends to address policy issues with a clear understanding of his constituents and withdogged dedication to bipartisan lawmaking and effective leadership.

He is simply the better fit for Michigan’s 7th District.

How to vote

Local clerks mailed absentee ballots to Michigan voters on Sept. 26. Registered voters may cast ballots early, in person, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3. In some communities, early voting begins even sooner — in Detroit, it's Oct. 19. Check with your local clerk for early voting dates and the location of early voting sites and ballot dropboxes. And, of course, you can vote — and register to vote — in person on Election Day, Nov. 5. Check your voter registration or find your polling place on the Michigan Secretary of State website.

Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Endorsement: Free Press: Curtis Hertel Jr to fill Elissa Slotkin seat