Meet Bridget.
Meet Bridget.
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A sixth-generation Michigander, third-generation union member, and proud Lansing resident, Bridget learned Midwestern values from her family: the value of hard work, the importance of doing the right thing, and the honor of public service.
After serving the American people for nearly 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, Bridget resigned as our Ambassador to Ukraine because she opposed the Trump Administration’s policy of appeasing Putin after he invaded Ukraine, the biggest threat to peace and security in Europe since World War II.
At her core, Bridget believes our nation must remain a beacon of freedom. She believes that the chaos and corruption coming out of Washington is costing mid-Michiganders by raising the cost of living, cutting critical services, and threatening our very democracy. Bridget dedicated her life to serving our country and has spent decades making the hard calls, fighting for what is right, and delivering in the toughest environments.
The American Dream started for Bridget’s family right here in MI-07 — six generations ago, her family came to Eaton County as farmers.
Bridget’s grandparents met at an ice cream shop in Lansing. Her grandfather worked in the old Oldsmobile plant before serving our country in World War II, while her grandmother supported their only child by renting out rooms in their Eastside Lansing home. Bridget’s mom was born at Sparrow Hospital and became a first-generation college graduate at Michigan State University.
Raised by a single mom, Bridget and her family lived with her grandparents to make ends meet. Her mom’s work as a Michigan public school teacher instilled in Bridget a belief in the power of education. And her mom’s union membership ensured Bridget had good health care growing up. Bridget attended Michigan public schools, got her first job at 15, and worked her way through college with the help of grants and scholarships, earning a Bachelor’s degree at Kenyon College and two Master’s degrees at the London School of Economics.
Inspired to public service by her family, Bridget joined the United States Foreign Service and served the American people for 28 years under five U.S. Presidents.
As a national security leader, Bridget focused on deepening our partnership with Europe, our biggest trading and closest security partner. She began her career helping end the Balkan wars and spent almost three decades supporting young democracies and the opening of free markets in Europe to U.S. companies after the fall of the Iron Curtain of communism.
Bridget served as a Director on President Obama’s National Security Council. She was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 2018 to serve as our Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, and again in 2022 to serve as our Ambassador to Ukraine, becoming the first woman to serve as a U.S. Ambassador in a war zone. The Secretary of State awarded Bridget the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy. As a Foreign Service officer, she rose to the rank of Career Minister, a three-star general equivalent.
Braving thousands of missiles and drones for nearly three years in wartime Ukraine, Bridget led the on-the-ground American effort to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Bridget oversaw the allocation of $100 billion of taxpayer assistance and earned a reputation for her anti-corruption work, for which The New York Times described her as a “powerful voice for reform, taking aim at government corruption.” She worked with the White House, Congress, and our military to enable Ukraine to take back 50% of the territory seized by Russia, keep the energy grid operating, and keep the economy running.
When the Trump Administration tried to end the war by pressuring Ukraine while capitulating to Putin, Bridget resigned and spoke out against what she believed was a historic mistake that undermined U.S. national security.
Bridget believes that peace at any price is not peace — it’s appeasement. And history has taught us that appeasing a dictator only leads to more war and suffering.
Bridget is running for Congress because the American Dream that she had here in Michigan is out of reach for too many of our neighbors.
In Congress, Bridget will fight to lower costs, make health care accessible and affordable, and defend our rights and freedoms. She believes that we must have an economy that works for the many, not just the few.
Bridget is a breast cancer survivor. Just as she was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, she watched Republicans in Washington, including Tom Barrett, cut health coverage for 25,000 mid-Michiganders, gut funding to lifesaving cancer research - including at Michigan State University - and vote to make health care more expensive for everyone. Bridget is grateful the cancer was caught early and removed successfully, but her surgery would have cost over $100,000 without insurance. For Bridget, the fight for a future where every Michigander has access to quality, affordable health care is deeply personal.
Bridget believes we need leaders willing to take on Washington, fight for real solutions, and deliver results — even if it means risking their careers to do so.
Her home state of Michigan has always been front of mind throughout Bridget’s service to our country, and she believes it is time to cut through the chaos and corruption in Washington — and put mid-Michigan families first. That’s exactly what she will do on behalf of her community as the next Member of Congress for Michigan’s 7th District.
Bridget lives in Lansing with her husband, their two sons, and rescue dog.