Why Outsiders Are Invading Barrett's District

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 07/16/2025) It's not often that you get not one, but two outsiders parachuting into any Congressional district to take on an incumbent, but that's exactly what's unfolding in the 7th Congressional district held by U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), as a former Navy SEAL and former Trump Ambassador to Ukraine were the first Democrats in the hunt. 

Neither are from the 7th District. One, Bridget Brink, bought a house in Lansing a couple of months ago while Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam lives in Ann Arbor.

many participants in race

But why them, and why now?

Veteran Michigan pollster Bernie Porn wades into the debate, citing some national research from political consultant Stan Greenberg and friends who are suggesting, "we are headed for an explosion or an earthquake in 2026 in terms of the Democrats potentially taking control of the GOP-dominated U.S. Congress.  So you got a whole bunch of folks.  It's like sharks smelling blood in the water."

Plus, he added Barrett's freshman record shows "some of his decisions are not going over very well" as 80% of the voters Porn has contacted oppose cuts to the SNAP food program and the Medicaid health care system, both of which the incumbent voted to pare back during last week's marathon budget scrum.

There is another part of the story, as some have asked where are the local politicians in all this?

None of the usual suspects have announced their plans to run. Porn said that grouping would include the likes of Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Okemos) and Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing).

"If you are a local thinking about running for the 7th, you don't have to do anything right now to build name ID, while the outsiders do," Porn said.

Brink and Maasdam "are going to have to spend a boatload of money to get their name ID increased to a point where they can be competitive with those candidates who may run locally," he goes on.

It's unclear at this early read what the two outsiders might bring to the race vis-a-vis their financial benefactors in the nation’s capital, if they have any.

The race recently expanded by one last week when a local Michigan State University professor with zero elective political experience, Josh Cowen, got in.

Brink announced Wednesday that she raised more than $500,000 in 12 days in her campaign to unseat Barrett.

Brink launched her campaign on June 18, and between then and the June 30 filing deadline, she raised more than half a million dollars. A statement from her campaign says the average contribution was less than $100, and 80% of contributions were $25 or less.

“Our grassroots campaign continues to build momentum and I couldn’t be prouder of the support we’ve received as we start this campaign,” Brink said. “With the chaos coming out of Washington, Michiganders want leaders who will stand up and deliver for working families.  That’s what I’ve always done – and that’s what I’ll do in Congress.  Together we will fight for what’s right for our district:  real solutions to make life more affordable, protect Social Security and Medicare, and defend our rights and freedoms.”