Team, 

Sometimes, funny things happen on the campaign trail.

Here’s one of those funny moments from the 4th of July. I had just finished walking in a parade in Mason when I ran into Jake Hagg – he’s the man who is running a write-in primary campaign against my likely opponent.

We had never met before, but when we recognized each other he shouted “You and I agree on almost nothing, except that Tom Barrett should have voted for those 5,000 auto jobs!!”

Indeed.

My opponent has voted six times against bipartisan initiatives in the Michigan State Senate that will bring thousands of good-paying auto jobs to Michigan, including 5,000 jobs at a brand-new EV battery plant in the district he hopes to represent and at other General Motors plants in our area. These initiatives had wide, bipartisan support. As my interaction with Mr. Hagg illustrates, it’s a choice that continues to baffle people on both sides of the aisle.

To me, this is simple: we can either build the next generation of cars or we can watch our jobs and our economic futures be shipped down South or overseas. I want to build those cars right here in Michigan – and I want to provide the best auto workers in the world to do it. 

If you care about people over ideology – these votes should have been a no brainer. Even my opponent’s opponent knows that!