Michigan State professor enters crowded Democratic primary for US Rep. Tom Barrett’s seat

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University professor Josh Cowen announced Thursday that he is running for one of the battleground state’s most competitive congressional districts, joining a crowded field of Democrats seeking to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Barrett.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Cowen said federal worker layoffs and cuts to research funding and Medicaid inspired him to run for the Lansing-area seat that Barrett flipped in 2024.

“What it really means in our daily lives is disinvestment from services that we depend on,” said Cowen, an education policy academic who is known for his research and arguments against school vouchers.

Vouchers broadly refer to the allocation of per-child public funding that can be used toward private-school tuition. Cowen has been cited by media outlets on the topic, including the AP.

School vouchers have been championed by Betsy Devos, who was education secretary during President Donald Trump’s first administration and remains a key player in Michigan Republican politics.

“We don’t need DeVos and her billionaires pushing their harmful agenda that benefits a select few at the expense of the many,” Cowen said in a news release.

Cowen’s announcement comes shortly after former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam announced their own campaigns for the Democratic nomination.

Barrett, an Army veteran, won the seat last year by 3.7 points after the incumbent, Democrat Elissa Slotkin, decided to run for the Senate. The 7th Congressional District encompasses the capital city of Lansing and surrounding rural areas.

Barrett’s win helped Republicans maintain a slight majority in the House. He recently announced a haul of $2 million in fundraising this year.