Lansing ― Former Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink launched her first ad Monday in her U.S. House campaign to unseat first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett in mid-Michigan, marking the first TV spot of the season in the battle for the 7th Congressional District.
The Lansing Democrat’s ad, which is the first of what the campaign says is a seven-figure ad buy, comes amid a competitive three-way Democratic primary in the swing district. Brink is running against former U.S. Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam of Ann Arbor Township and community organizer William Lawrence of Lansing.
In her ad, Brink speaks about her grandfather’s history as a Lansing autoworker, her time serving on former President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, becoming the first female ambassador to serve in a war zone and her eventual resignation in protest of President Donald Trump’s “appeasement of Putin.”
The 30-second ad ends with a promise to “fight for the American dream, for all of us.”
The initial ad buy totaling $300,000 will run in the Lansing broadcast market as well as digital and streaming throughout the district, which includes all of Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties and parts of Genesee, Eaton and Oakland counties.
Brink, 55, moved to Lansing last year after serving 28 years as a diplomat, most recently as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, a post she resigned from in 2025 due to disagreements with Trump’s policy and actions.
Barrett, 45, of Charlotte is running for a second term in the 7th District. He first won the district in 2024 by 3.7 percentage points against former state Sen. Curtis Hertel, an East Lansing Democrat who now serves as the Michigan Democratic Party chairman.
Brink has won endorsements from EMILY’s List, the Michigan Education Association and several Democratic state lawmakers.
Maasdam, another Democratic contender for the 7th District, grew up in Nebraska but graduated from the University of Michigan before spending 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a SEAL. He served as a military aide under Obama and later went into business. He moved back to Michigan in 2019.
Last month, Maasdam announced the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Michigan State Conference, and has previously been endorsed by the Michigan Pipe Trades Association and the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union, according to his campaign.
Lawrence, a community organizer from Lansing, co-founded the youth-led Sunrise Movement for climate action. In recent years, he’s focused on housing affordability, founding the Michigan Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition to advocate for renters and tenants’ protections.
Lawrence recently won the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Democrat Brink talks bio in first ad in swing mid-Michigan district
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
