News: Matt Maasdam, a retired Navy SEAL who carried the nuclear football for President Barack Obama, is preparing to run against Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.).
Maasdam has met with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC, as well as members of Congress who are veterans, according to two people familiar with his plans. Maasdam is taking steps toward launching a bid for the 7th District seat in the summer.
Michigan Democrats are excited by his impressive bio and believe he can help them win the Lansing-based swing seat. Maasdam is a University of Michigan grad who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he protected the Iraqi vice president. After the military, Maasdam worked as an executive for Under Armour.
Emma Grundhauser, a former campaign aide for now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), is advising Maasdam. Slotkin was the last Democrat to hold the seat, which she vacated to run for Senate.
Barrett has military credentials of his own as a former Army helicopter pilot. He beat Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. by nearly four points in 2024. President Donald Trump carried the district narrowly.
