Bridget Brink, ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, challenges U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett
Brink made the announcement Wednesday, June 18, that she would run for Michigan's 7th Congressional District — a mid-Michigan district that is considered a tossup and was previously represented by Democrat Elissa Slotkin before she was elected to the U.S. Senate last year.
"My passion for public service runs deep," Brink said in a video accompanying her announcement in which she talked about her Michigan roots and how as a foreign service officer she served nearly 30 years under presidents from both parties. 'My next mission: to fight for what's right, here at home. ... We've got to take on the chaos and corruption coming out of Washington because it's costing Michiganders."
Brink lives in Lansing, which is in the 7th District, and her grandparents met there. Brink said she was raised by a single mother and her grandparents in west Michigan before she joined the foreign service. She worked in many countries and served as ambassador to Slovakia before being nominated by former President Joe Biden to become ambassador to Ukraine in 2022 following Russia's invasion of that country.
In May, Brink wrote an opinion column for the Detroit Free Press in which she said she resigned as ambassador to Ukraine and returned to Michigan because of Trump's change in policy toward that country, which she said has been the victim of "brutal, unprovoked aggression by Russia."
"I respect the president's right and responsibility to determine U.S. foreign policy ― with proper checks and balances by U.S. Congress. ... Unfortunately, the policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia," she wrote.
"As such, I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration's policy and felt it was my duty to step down. After nearly three decades serving our country, I resigned as our ambassador to Ukraine."
Brink's challenge comes as Barrett is expected to run for a second two-year term in Congress in the 7th District. After losing to Slotkin there in 2022, he beat former state Sen. Curtis Hertel, of East Lansing, 50% to 47%.
Zach Bannon, a spokesman with the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington, issued a statement on Brink entering the race.
"Michigan Democrats are on the brink of disaster, attempting to parachute a radical Democrat into Congressman Tom Barrett's district," he said. "Barrett remains laser-focused on delivering real results for Michiganders, and he'll defeat whichever far-left Democrat emerges from what is sure to be a messy primary."
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Brink, ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine challenges U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett
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