MI GOP Candidate Puts Ad With Wrong Election Date In Black Newspaper

MICHIGAN — Black Michigan lawmakers are calling for an investigation into a mid-Michigan Republican, who is running for Congress, after he placed an ad with the wrong election date in a Black-owned Michigan newspaper, according to reports.

Tom Barrett’s campaign placed a full-page advertisement in the Oct. 2 edition of The Michigan Bulletin encouraging people to vote "on November 6," which is the day after Election Day, according to reports.

Barrett campaign officials said the ad was a "proofing error," while the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus said the ad was intentional to mislead Black voters and suppress overall turnout, according to reports.

Barrett campaign officials said the newspaper notified them about the error a few days after the paper ran, and that they have fixed the ad with the correct date for the next edition, according to reports.

The group asked Michigan's Attorney General and the Ingham County prosecutor to investigate Barrett's campaign to determine if they violated a state law that prohibits intentionally spreading misinformation about the election in order to suppress people from voting, according to reports.

Barrett is in a tight race against Democrat Curtis Hertel to succeed Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress.

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District includes Clinton, Shiawassee, Ingham and Livingston counties, as well as parts of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland counties.