Michigan Congressman-Elect Secures Office Once Occupied by Great-Grandfather

Tom Barrett, newly elected to Michigan's 7th Congressional District, successfully lobbied for the historic Capitol office tied to his family's legacy.

Tom Barrett, a Republican, won Michigan's 7th Congressional District seat, flipping it from Democratic control after Elissa Slotkin vacated the seat to become a U.S. senator.
Barrett secured Room 1232 in the House Office Building, a space once used by his great-grandfather, Louis Rabaut, who served as a Democratic congressman from 1935 to 1961.
Rabaut is remembered for introducing the legislation that added the words 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, which he worked on while occupying this office.
Barrett lobbied his incoming congressional colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, to allow him to select this office during the freshman office lottery process, where he drew the 14th pick.
Barrett, who expressed pride in his family’s history, plans to adorn the office with artifacts of Rabaut’s legacy, including a framed copy of the Pledge of Allegiance signed by his great-grandfather.