If you have any doubts that the race for Michigan’s newly drawn 7th Congressional District is one of the most important in the nation (as well as one of the most-expensive with a combined $27 million spent), look no further than the Republican heavy-hitters who will have visited Michigan in a week’s time on behalf of the two candidates running.
These two political powerhouses are separated by the cudgel that is former President Donald Trump. One of the heavy-hitters is the No. 2 Republican in the House: U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who voted against certifying the 2020 election. The other is the former No. 3 Republican in the House, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who says Trump is “clearly unfit for office,” who is working her hardest to make sure Trump never wins another election, and who lost her leadership position and her primary election in the process.
It is that Cheney risked every last drop of her political capital to make a moral point about Trump that has earned her the scorn of those Republicans who have fallen in line that the 2020 election was stolen; that same move has earned her the grudging admiration of those who oppose Trump and will never, ever share her political views.
It’s a move that Pulitzer prize-winning historian Jon Meacham called “public virtue in action.”
As different as these two Republicans heavy hitters are, so, too, are their appearances in Michigan.
Scalise slipped in and out of the district earlier this week for a private fundraiser at the home of a West Bloomfield doctor, with a friendly opinion column, a mention in a Politico piece, and various Facebook photos by Republicans in attendance the only evidence of his visit.
Cheney, on the other hand, will be appearing with Slotkin at an “Evening for Patriotism and Bipartisanship” rally in Lansing on Tuesday, Nov. 1, which will be open to the public. The event will surely garner national media attention for its reach across the aisle in this contentious midterm election.
This is also the first time Republican Cheney has endorsed a Democrat; however, the two women have a lot in common. Cheney and Slotkin both have backgrounds in national security, they serve on the House Armed Services Committee together, and each has previously worked for the State Department. (I am unsure how Scalise knows Barrett.)
Meacham, on Friday’s “Morning Joe” program on MSNBC, called the upcoming midterm election a “genuine stress test” for the country, and said 7th District voters should cast their ballots for Slotkin.
“I wish we could argue about marginal tax rates,” Meacham said. “That would be lovely .. (but) there are so many people wanting to grab power by any means necessary and put the whole constitutional experiment at risk. This is not hypothetical.”
Within a couple hours of the announcement that Cheney had endorsed Slotkin and was coming to the district for a rally with her, Barrett, who apparently doesn’t share Meacham’s view of the historical nature of these midterms, took to Twitter to blast both women as “establishment Warhawks.”
“…Liz Cheney and Elissa Slotkin are standing together because I oppose their senseless thirst for more foreign entanglements,” Barrett wrote. “… Elissa Slotkin can keep Liz Cheney while I work to keep America out of senseless wars.”
Within a couple hours after the announcement that Cheney had endorsed her, Slotkin was at Uptown Coffeehouse in downtown Howell with Isabella Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Slotkin also took Guzman on a visit of some of Howell’s other downtown businesses, including the Historic Howell Theater and the Dragonfly Emporium, before holding a business roundtable at the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce.
In all fairness, Barrett also spent some time in downtown Howell. I understand that he was at Coratti’s on Wednesday for what one person in attendance called an “impromptu fundraiser” with some county Republicans.
On Tuesday, Slotkin will be welcoming Cheney, whose voice, she said, has been critical “at a moment when the very heart of our democracy is being challenged.”
“We all know our country is going through a difficult moment right now,” Slotkin said in a statement. “Two things have helped us weather times like these: engaged citizens and principled leaders from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Cheney has shown tremendous leadership over the last two years, and while we certainly don’t agree on every issue, I look forward to welcoming her to Michigan’s 7th district next week to discuss the points where all Americans can leave politics aside and put our country above all else.”
