During his 2024 campaign, Barrett’s campaign ran an ad with the incorrect election date in a Black-owned newspaper in Michigan. Black lawmakers in Michigan filed a complaint alleging he tried to disenfranchise Black voters and pointing out that his campaign ran a similar advertisement in a different newspaper with the correct election date. Barrett’s campaign claimed the incident was a “minor error” and the situation was “much ado about nothing.” The Michigan Attorney General sent the Barrett campaign a cease and desist notice over the ad.
10/2/24: Barrett’s Campaign Ran An Ad In A Black-Owned Newspaper, The Michigan Bulletin, Falsely Claiming Election Day Was 11/6/24. According to the New York Times, "Black state lawmakers in Michigan are calling on the state’s attorney general and a local county prosecutor to investigate the congressional campaign of Tom Barrett, a Republican, for an ad in a Black-owned newspaper that incorrectly listed Election Day as Nov. 6. The complaint from the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, filed on Sunday, accuses the campaign of Mr. Barrett, who is running for the seat being vacated by Representative Elissa Slotkin, of intentionally providing false information to disenfranchise Black voters. Election Day is Nov. 5. […] ‘On Nov. 6 vote for Tom Barrett’ reads the information box at the center of the full-page advertisement, which appeared in the Oct. 2 issue of The Michigan Bulletin, a Black-owned alternative weekly that has published in the Lansing area for 30 years. At the bottom of the page, the disclaimer ‘Paid for by Tom Barrett for Congress’ appears." [New York Times, 10/14/24]
HEADLINE: "Black Lawmakers Call For Probe Of GOP House Candidate Over Campaign Ad With Wrong Election Date" [CNN, 10/14/24]
Michigan Legislative Black Caucus Filed A Complaint Accusing Barrett Of Intentionally Providing False Information To Disenfranchise Black Voters And Called For The Michigan Attorney General And A Local Prosecutor To Investigate. According to the New York Times, "Black state lawmakers in Michigan are calling on the state’s attorney general and a local county prosecutor to investigate the congressional campaign of Tom Barrett, a Republican, for an ad in a Black-owned newspaper that incorrectly listed Election Day as Nov. 6. The complaint from the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, filed on Sunday, accuses the campaign of Mr. Barrett, who is running for the seat being vacated by Representative Elissa Slotkin, of intentionally providing false information to disenfranchise Black voters. Election Day is Nov. 5. […] ‘On Nov. 6 vote for Tom Barrett’ reads the information box at the center of the full-page advertisement, which appeared in the Oct. 2 issue of The Michigan Bulletin, a Black-owned alternative weekly that has published in the Lansing area for 30 years. At the bottom of the page, the disclaimer ‘Paid for by Tom Barrett for Congress’ appears." [New York Times, 10/14/24]
A Complaint From Black State Lawmakers In Michigan Said That A Similar Advertisement With The Correct Election Date Ran In The Lansing City Pulse, Which Did Not Have Black Owners. According to the New York Times, "Black state lawmakers in Michigan are calling on the state’s attorney general and a local county prosecutor to investigate the congressional campaign of Tom Barrett, a Republican, for an ad in a Black-owned newspaper that incorrectly listed Election Day as Nov. 6. […] The complaint from the state Black caucus notes that a similar advertisement — but with the correct election date — appeared in an Oct. 9 issue of City Pulse, another local weekly publication, which does not have Black owners." [New York Times, 10/14/24]
Barrett’s Campaign Strategist Claimed Democrats Filed The Complaint Because “They Are Very Nervous That A Group Of Voters Who Have Pledged Their Loyalty To The Party And Gotten Very Little In Return Are Looking Elsewhere.” According to Michigan Public Radio, "Jason Cabel Roe, a strategist working for the Barrett campaign, explained both were legacies from advertisements ran during the state’s August 6 primary. He said an original version of the City Pulse ad also had the wrong election date, but it was caught before going to print. […] As to why Democrats would be concerned about the issue in the first place, Cabel Roe said it could be a reaction to inroads he sees the Barrett campaign making with Black voters. ‘I understand that they are very nervous that a group of voters who have pledged their loyalty to the party and gotten very little in return are looking elsewhere,’ he said." [Michigan Public Radio, 10/14/24]
After The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus’ Complaint, Barrett’s Campaign Said They Would Issue A Revised Ad With The Correct Election Date—Nearly Two Weeks After It Was First Printed. According to the Washington Post, "In a complaint filed Sunday with the state attorney general, the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus accused Barrett’s campaign of misleading Black voters to suppress turnout — something the group of Black state lawmakers said could violate a Michigan law that prohibits intentionally spreading misinformation about the election process to deter an individual from voting. […] The state lawmakers also took issue with the campaign’s failure to promptly amend its ad. As of Monday — 12 days after it was first printed — the campaign has yet to publish a correction. However, Roe said next week’s Bulletin edition will carry a revised ad — this time with the correct date." [Washington Post, 10/14/24]
HEADLINE: "Michigan Republican Blames ‘Proofing Error’ For Misleading Ad In Black-Owned Newspaper" [New York Times, 10/14/24]
10/14/24: Barrett’s Campaign Claimed The Ad With The Incorrect Election Date Was A “Proofing Error.” According to the New York Times, "Mr. Barrett’s campaign has strongly denied the allegation and characterized it as a one-time ‘proofing error’ that is inconsistent with the campaign’s other advertisements aimed at Black voters. […] As of Sunday, more than a week after publication, the campaign had yet to publish a correction. A representative said that The Bulletin’s publisher notified the campaign about the error over the weekend and that a corrected version of the ad would run in the next issue. ‘Our campaign has been committed to outreach to the Black community and Black leaders,’ Jason C. Roe, a spokesman for Mr. Barrett’s campaign, said. ‘The goal is to earn more support from Black voters, and this was nothing but a proofing error.’ Mr. Roe noted that the campaign sent mailers to Black households on Oct. 2 and Oct. 9 that include the correct election date." [New York Times, 10/14/24]
Barrett’s Campaign Spokesperson Claimed Advertising The Incorrect Election Date Was “A Minor Error” And The Situation Was “Much Ado About Nothing.” According to the Detroit News, "Jason Roe, a spokesman for the Barrett campaign, said The Bulletin's publisher contacted him Saturday about the error in the ad, which had been placed as part of the campaign's outreach to Black voters. The campaign plans to include the correct date in future ads it runs in The Bulletin, Roe said. ‘It was a minor error which has been corrected and will appear in the next issue of The Michigan Bulletin,’ Roe said. ‘This is much ado about nothing.’" [Detroit News, 10/15/24]
10/15/24: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nassel Sent Barrett’s Campaign A Cease And Desist Notice After He Advertised The Incorrect Election Date In A Black-Owned Newspaper. According to the Detroit News, "Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel's office on Monday issued a cease and desist notice to Republican 7th Congressional District candidate Tom Barrett for an error in an ad that encouraged voters to vote for him on Nov. 6, the day after Election Day. The Oct. 2 ad with the wrong date was published in The Michigan Bulletin, a Black-owned publication in the Lansing area, and prompted a complaint from the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus directed toward Nessel and the Ingham County prosecutor. […] In the cease and desist notice issued Monday, the attorney general's criminal bureau chief, Danielle Hagaman-Clark, reminded the Barrett campaign that Michigan election law prohibits actions that would ‘deter the elector’ from voting in an election. The letter also acknowledged the campaign's intent to issue a correction in next week's The Michigan Bulletin." [Detroit News, 10/15/24]