DETROIT — GOP House candidate Tom Barrett calls it a “regrettable error.” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office calls it “deeply troubling.” The media have portrayed it as a voter-suppression attempt.
At issue is Barrett’s Oct. 2 ad in the Michigan Bulletin, a black newspaper in Lansing. The Republican is running a tight race against Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr., and his notice encourages people to vote for him Nov. 6 — the day after Election Day.
That typo has become all but a federal case.
News outlets such as The New York Times and CNN picked up the story. The campaign admitted the error and noted Tom Barrett doesn’t benefit from Tom Barrett voters showing up a day late. It said it would correct the record in a future edition of the Michigan Bulletin.
Tom Barrett asks for the benefit of the doubt after an ad in a black newspaper gave the wrong election date. APNessel’s office sent a cease-and-desist letter anyway.
Her Oct. 14 missive uses an Oct. 9 Barrett ad in the Lansing City Pulse as proof of nefarious intent: The Bulletin targets a black readership; the City Pulse does not.
“The only noticeable difference in the ads placed, was the date indicated to vote,” wrote Danielle Hagaman-Clark, criminal bureau chief under Nessel.
But as Barrett says in a forthcoming op-ed for the Bulletin, which he shared with The Post, both papers got the ad with the wrong date. It was caught before publication in the Pulse and after publication in the Bulletin.
“Some have seized on the error to suggest an effort to trick voters because a similar ad appeared in Lansing City Pulse with the correct date,” Barrett writes.
Tom Barrett’s team bristles at the idea he would suppress his own voting base. Bloomberg via Getty Images“That, of course, is at odds with all the efforts we’ve made,” he continues. “The City Pulse ad included the incorrect date when originally submitted, the publisher notified my campaign of the error, and a revised ad was sent. When the Bulletin ad was designed, my campaign inadvertently used the incorrect City Pulse ad as a template, and the error was missed. The publisher of the Bulletin contacted my campaign Saturday to inform us of the error and we sent a revised ad the next day.”
The Barrett campaign showed The Post the Oct. 13 version of the Bulletin ad, redone with the correct date. It was created a day before Nessel’s cease-and-desist arrived.
Barrett and his campaign note black outreach has been an ongoing effort. At the top of the ticket, Republican nominee Donald Trump has made inroads with black voters, especially black men.
“Republicans up and down the ballot like Tom Barrett have been working relentlessly to meet minority voters where they are and educate them why we are the better choice for a more prosperous, safe and stronger country,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told The Post.
“The Democrat Party is no longer recognizable because they have gone too far left off the cliff.”
Barrett’s consultant Jason Cabel Roe said the campaign is not spending money to suppress its own voter turnout.
“I’ve never been involved in a campaign more dedicated to reaching black voters than Tom,” Roe told The Post.
This has entailed radio ads, mailers and print ads — all but one with the correct election date.
Even Nessel’s cease-and-desist letter contains an acknowledgement the campaign will fix the error.
“It is being reported that you intend to issue a correction in next week’s edition of The Michigan Bulletin,” it says. “We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure that occurs. Moving forward, we expect the campaign to comply with the law and only provide factually correct information regarding Election Day 2024.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sent Barrett a cease-and-desist letter — after he said he’d correct the error. APRoe noted the irony of the situation: If you don’t do black outreach, you can’t make a mistake doing black outreach and be tarred as racist for a typo.
“It’s a proofing error. It’s been fixed,” Roe said. “It’s nothing more nefarious than a typo.”
Tony Baltimore, a black political consultant in Lansing who worked with Barrett last cycle and considers him a friend today, sees it the same way.
“This is human error,” Baltimore told The Post. “And I would say the same thing if it was the other side.”
“I’m hopeful it’s kind of run its course,” Barrett said, noting there’s just three weeks until Election Day.
“My hope is that people will see the outreach we’ve done and the effort we’ve put in, and they’ll continue to see the contrast between my opponent and I, and that that will give us the benefit of the doubt,” Barrett told The Post. “That’s really what we’re asking for.”
Cook Political Report rates Michigan’s 7th District a toss-up race.
