Josh Cowen, a Michigan State University education policy professor and longtime critic of school voucher programs pushed by former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and others, says he’s running for Congress, hoping to win the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, in the state’s 7th Congressional District.
With his announcement July 10 that he’s entering the 2026 election, Cowen, of East Lansing, becomes the third notable Democratic contender for the nomination to face Barrett, a first-term incumbent, in a swing district that could help determine majority control of the U.S. House in 2027.
“We’ve got this guy in place right now and he’s not standing up for this district,” Cowen told the Detroit Free Press, referring to Barrett’s support of President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which puts restrictions in place for Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income families and individuals, and food stamps, while extending tax cuts and reducing government spending. “He’s walking away from this district, honestly, when it comes to these investments we care about with schools and with health care and jobs.”
The legislation includes what critics are calling a school voucher program, providing a tax deduction of up to $1,700 for people who give to organizations that provide scholarships to private or religious schools, though it is only allowed in states that opt in to the program. Michigan prohibits public funding of nonpublic schools, so such a program may not be allowed in the state; voucher critics, however, say the bill could hurt public school funding nationwide.
Cowen, who is also a visiting senior fellow at the Education Law Center in New Jersey, has built a reputation as an author, researcher and national expert on private school vouchers, which allow taxpayer funds to be used to help pay for nonpublic schools. He has argued that data shows they haven’t improved students’ academic outcomes.
In announcing his campaign, Cowen, 46, said he has “dedicated his career” to fighting against the private school voucher effort pushed by DeVos, a wealthy west Michigan resident and powerful ally of the state Republican Party, saying it “strips vital funding from our schools.” On July 3, Cowen, who is a member of the National Education Association (NEA), received the union’s Friend of Education Award and spoke to its representative assembly in Oregon.
The NEA is a huge labor union, with some 3 million members. Its members’ support and that of the union (which hasn’t yet been committed) could be critically significant for Cowen’s candidacy, given that two other candidates with strong resumes — former U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine Bridget Brink and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam — are also running for the Democratic nomination.
In his campaign announcement, Cowen emphasized his Michigan roots, noting he was born in Ypsilanti and has worked at MSU for more than a decade, with his wife and he sending their children to Lansing-area public schools. He also mentioned DeVos — who was education secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term — frequently, saying she and other billionaires have been “pushing their harmful agenda that benefits a select few at the expense of the many.” Cowen said more than 300 NEA members have already pledged their support for his campaign.
“I’m going to lean heavily on my track record so far of fighting DeVos and these billionaires, this idea that right-wing billionaires like Betsy DeVos shouldn’t be telling families what to do or how our money should get spent,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing both here in Michigan and across the country.”
He said he is running to represent Republicans and independents in the district as well as Democrats and began thinking about running for Congress as he toured the state this spring talking about the private-school scholarship tax deduction in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and past efforts by DeVos to push school vouchers in Michigan.
“I have something of a platform. I have some level of attention. I don’t need to do this for that,” he said. “I could just sit back and write another book or keep giving speeches. But I think it’s really important right now. Times are really serious. … It’s time to get involved in a new way.”
Cowen noted that while some more-moderate Republicans in Congress who represent swing districts raised concerns about the bill, though they ultimately voted for it, Barrett didn’t speak about any such worries. He, along with other Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation, voted for that legislation, which also protects previously enacted tax cuts and adds others, such as temporary ones on tips, overtime wages and new car loan interest.
Cowen also said he will vote to protect Social Security, which could face insolvency in less than a decade, according to its own estimates. And he said he will work to reduce living costs for working-class Michiganders, calling that one of his top priorities.
Republicans downplayed Cowen’s entry into the race.
“Another day, another far-left radical joins the Democrat circus in Michigan’s 7th. Josh Cowen is the latest out of touch Democrat to jump into the crowded, expensive primary, all fighting for the honor of being rejected by Michiganders next year,” said Zach Bannon, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington, which works to elect GOP members to the U.S. House.
The Cook Political Report, a leading political handicapping website in Washington, lists Michigan’s 7th Congressional District as a toss-up in the 2026 election. Spread across mid-Michigan and comprised of all or parts of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston and Shiawassee counties (and even a sliver of Oakland County), it’s anchored in Lansing but includes many suburban and rural areas, as well. Current Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin beat Barrett, a former state senator, in the district in 2022 before running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. Last year, Barrett beat former state Sen. (and current Michigan Democratic Party Chairman) Curtis Hertel Jr. in the district, 50%-47%.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This story has been updated with additional information.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Josh Cowen, critic of DeVos and school vouchers, enters crowded U.S. House race
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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