MI-07: Rep. Barrett (R) claimed enough campaign driving to circle Earth once -- and then some

If U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett’s mileage reimbursements are accurate, the Michigan Republican drove enough campaign-related miles to circle the Earth once with about 7,000 miles left to spare.

From January 2024 through March 2026, Barrett’s campaign reimbursed him $21,908.83 for mileage, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by Metro Times.

Using the Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rates for those years, the reimbursements equal about 32,350 miles. That’s enough to drive from Michigan to California and back about seven times, cross the continental United States more than 11 times, or make hundreds of trips across Barrett’s entire mid-Michigan congressional district.

Barrett, who has been endorsed by Trump in both the 2024 campaign and his 2026 reelection bid, represents one of the most competitive districts in the country and one that the national Democratic Party has targeted. In 2024, Barrett flipped Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a swing seat centered on Lansing and stretching into Livingston, Shiawassee, Clinton, Ingham, and parts of Eaton, Genesee, and Oakland counties.



https://www.metrotimes.com/news/politics-elections/rep-barrett-claimed-enough-campaign-driving-to-circle-earth-once-and-then-some/