Rep.-elect Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) will literally be following in his great-grandfather’s footsteps come January, after successfully securing the House office space once occupied by his congressman ancestor.
Barrett, who flipped Michigan’s 7th Congressional District red on Election Day, passed around a letter Thursday asking fellow incoming House freshmen to leave room 1232 in Longworth House Office Building available for him to select when his turn the workspace lottery came up.
They did.
“We got it!” Barrett wrote on X. “Appreciate everyone who followed along and showed their support.”
“Thank you to my Freshman colleagues, Republicans AND Democrats, who were kind enough to allow me to select the office once occupied by my great grandfather,” he added.
Barrett, 43, explained in his “personal request” that his great-grandfather occupied three different Capitol offices during his 24 years representing Michigan in Congress, and that it would mean a great deal to him to work in one of the spaces once occupied by his late great-granddad.
“I’ve shared with several of you that my great-grandfather, Louis Rabaut from Michigan, served here in Congress and was first elected 90 years ago in 1934,” Barrett wrote in his letter.
“He died in office in 1961, long before I was born, so I never had the opportunity to meet him or ask him about his time in Congress, but his legacy is something my whole family is very proud of. In fact, my youngest son, Louis, is named after my great-grandfather.”
“While in Congress he occupied three different offices, all on the same floor in the Longworth building, and if one or more of them become available I would deeply appreciate it if you afford me the opportunity to select one of them,” he added.
Barrett noted that his “first preference” was the office Rabaut occupied “when he sponsored his most memorable piece of legislation, which added ‘under God’ to our Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.”
“I understand and respect the office lottery process, and ultimately the decision will be yours to select your office when your turn becomes available,” Barrett continued, while noting, “Perhaps 90 years from now one of your descendants will be asking their colleagues to hold your office available for them to occupy.”
Longworth 1232 is currently used by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), but the congressman is moving to a different office, as members have the chance to upgrade to a new space every two years, according to the Washington Examiner.
Barrett, who drew number 14 in the office space lottery, was able to snag his great-grandfather’s old digs after the 13 incoming lawmakers ahead of him didn’t claim Longworth 1232, the outlet reported.