Bridget Brink

Bridget Brink is from Michigan. Her career experience includes working in the U.S. Foreign Service as an ambassador.[1]

Bridget Brink did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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Campaign websiteBrink's campaign website stated the following:Lowering Costs and Investing in mid-MichiganFor most Michiganders, it boils down to this: can I put food on the table, provide for my family, and offer better opportunities for my kids? We must make life easier and more affordable in mid-Michigan and across the country. That’s the economy we need to strengthen, and we can do it by looking out for working families and small businesses.We must position Michigan’s economy for the future by fostering an environment that encourages innovation and job creation in growing industries. That includes ensuring we remain a leader in high-tech manufacturing and the digital economy – that means making it in Michigan and driving the technological advances that will define the coming decades. As part of that process, it is critical that we set clear, firm, and fair rules of the road that support innovation in emerging technologies, while guiding their growth in ways that make life better for Michiganders. And we can do that while protecting them from risk and bad actors, keeping our kids safe and stamping out fraudsters. With clear and equitable frameworks, we can attract investment, spur innovation, and solidify Michigan’s leadership in the next generation of technology.As a proud third-generation union member, I will champion workers’ rights and work to bring manufacturing back home from overseas to mid-Michigan. At the same time, we must support workers harmed by disruptions caused by new technologies that eliminate jobs. We need to do more to encourage and incentivize small businesses and hold big corporations accountable for putting profits ahead of people.In Congress, I will fight to:Roll back Trump’s reckless tariffs, which have raised costs for all consumers and closed markets to mid-Michigan’s agricultural exports.Replace Trump’s Big Ugly Bill tax giveaways to billionaires and big corporations with middle class tax cuts and relief for small businesses.Invest in our infrastructure — from fixing our roads and bridges to expanding rural broadband.Expand federally-backed loans to support small businesses, the backbone of economic growth.Work with local communities to reform zoning laws, speed up permitting processes, and encourage investment in affordable housing.Invest in job training, career and technical education, and free community college to prepare our workers for the economy of the future.Restore the Federal Trade Commission’s power to protect consumers and promote competition by fighting unfair business practices that raise prices.Crack down on corporate landlords who collude, jack up costs, and use A.I. to artificially increase rents; and eliminate the hidden fees that make rents even more unaffordable.Increase regulations on public utility monopolies to remove financial incentives for increasing rates.Pass the PRO Act to ensure that workers have the right to collectively bargain for better wages, fair treatment, and safe working conditions.Making Health Care More Affordable and AccessibleEveryone deserves affordable and accessible health care. Today, too many people can't afford health care, even if they have insurance. We’ve got to bring down the cost of health care and prescription drugs by taking on insurance and drug companies. Republicans in Washington are making things worse by taking away people’s coverage and making it more expensive. In 2025, Republicans voted to strip 25,000 people in our district of their health insurance, increase insurance premiums by up to 75%, and close rural hospitals and health care centers. This is unacceptable.This fight is personal to me. Over the summer, following a routine mammogram, I learned that I was among the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. I’m grateful that the cancer was detected early, removed successfully, and, as a mom, that I can be around for my kids. But my experience underscored a simple truth: everyone needs affordable and accessible health care, just like I had.In Congress, I will fight to:Fully extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to bring down insurance costs for at least 24 million Americans who have had them double or even triple.Repeal the Big Ugly Bill which kicks 25,000 people off of Medicaid in our district alone, and millions across the country.Create a public health insurance option to give people the choice to buy a truly affordable coverage plan to compete with plans on the ACA marketplace.Reform the patent system for prescription drugs to prevent the gaming of the system and price inflation by pharmaceutical companies.Stop direct-to-consumer advertising by drug companies and increase prescription drug pricing transparency.Force drug companies to negotiate with Medicare to lower costs for more prescription drugs.Cap the cost of insulin at $35 for all Americans.Restore funding for lifesaving cancer research that is improving diagnoses and outcomes every day.Pass comprehensive consumer protections that require health insurance companies to provide clear and timely decisions on coverage.Hold bad insurance companies accountable for deceptive business practices and ensure that treatment is decided by physicians — not by insurance companies.Protecting Social Security and MedicareRaised by a single mom, my family and I lived with my grandparents to make ends meet. My grandparents worked hard their whole lives, served our country in World War II, and relied on Social Security. Seniors paid into Social Security and Medicare with every paycheck. They’ve earned it and depend on it. We’ve got to protect it.Washington’s cuts to Social Security operations are already leading to longer wait times for benefits and appeals. In mid-Michigan, where offices are already understaffed or miles away, these delays aren’t an inconvenience, they’re a crisis. Worse, some in Washington are even talking about privatizing Social Security, risking hard-earned retirement on the stock market. We can’t let that happen.In Congress, I will fight to:Expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing while capping out-of-pocket costs.Support home health care workers so seniors can age at home.Ensure that Medicaid cuts do not affect access to nursing homes.Reverse cuts to Social Security Administration funding.Fighting Corruption and Defending DemocracyEvery day, we are seeing our rights restricted. Our freedoms diminished. And our Constitution and the rule of law disrespected or even outright ignored. We are at a critical moment for our country. We need leaders who are committed to principled, pragmatic leadership to protect the fundamental freedoms this country was founded upon. This is how we keep our country strong.I’ve served the American people for 28 years under five U.S. Presidents as a U.S. Foreign Service officer, building coalitions to advance U.S. interests and values, including ending wars, opening markets, and assisting Americans abroad. I have battle-tested experience in multiple conflict zones of making the hard calls, tackling our toughest problems and delivering results in the most dangerous environments. I’ve been criticized as “focusing too intensely on the issue of corruption.” I believe there’s no such thing. I resigned as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine because I opposed the Trump Administration’s appeasement of Putin in his war in Ukraine — the biggest threat to peace and security in Europe since World War II. So I could speak truth to power.It’s time to restore and reform our system to put power back in the hands of the people.In Congress, I will fight to:Ban individual stock trading by the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, Executive Branch appointees, and Supreme Court Justices.Institute a permanent, lifetime ban on Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists.Ban immediate family members of Members of Congress serving as registered lobbyists for the duration of their congressional tenure.Pass a Constitutional Amendment to establish term limits for Members of Congress.Block pay for Members of Congress during government shutdowns.Enact legislation that clarifies and limits the extent of Presidential pardon powers.Ban accepting personal gifts of more than $20 by all Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch officials, including, but not limited to, the President, Vice President, political appointees, Members of Congress, and Supreme Court Justices.Pass a Constitutional Amendment overturning the Citizens United decision, banning the unlimited spending of dark money by corporations and individuals.Pass a binding code of ethics for the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, Executive Branch appointees, and Supreme Court Justices to include full financial and tax disclosures.Protecting the Environment and Growing the Green EconomyLike many Michiganders, my happiest childhood memories were on Michigan’s incredible Great Lakes. Our beautiful outdoor spaces are a huge part of what makes Michigan so special. We must do all we can to fight climate change and preserve our environment for future generations. With energy costs rising, we need to invest in the developing and implementing cost-effective green energy including solar, wind, and hydrogen. We must also invest in nuclear energy to lower costs, expand our energy supply, and accelerate clean energy adoption.Michigan should be at the forefront of the economy of the future: the green energy economy. We need to bring good-paying green jobs here to mid-Michigan. We also need to fund job training programs to prepare our workforce for these new opportunities — from the manufacturing of batteries, solar panels, and more, Michigan’s manufacturing base can lead this energy transition, preserve our environment, and create the jobs of tomorrow.In Congress, I will fight to:Restore and strengthen programs that keep our air, land, and water safe and clean.Hold the biggest polluters accountable, including the companies that have released harmful PFAS forever chemicals into our waterways.Ban all non-essential uses of toxic PFAS and invest in research and development of ways to safely destroy PFAS to ensure access to safe water, soil, and air.Strengthen the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.Reverse Trump’s efforts to halt clean energy projects and programs that lower costs for Michiganders and keep our air, land, and water safe and clean.Strengthen and expand our electric grid to keep up with demand and block utility bill price hikes.Expand the research, development, and implementation of advanced nuclear energy technologies as well as solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies to increase our energy supply and combat climate change.Strengthening Public SchoolsI am a proud product of Michigan public schools. My mom was a Michigan public school teacher and first-generation college graduate. My family instilled in me the value of education. Thanks to my public school education, I had the opportunity to attend college on grants, loans, and work-study programs. I went on to serve our country for 28 years as a Foreign Service officer, becoming Ambassador twice and the first woman to serve as a U.S. Ambassador in a war zone. Most importantly to me, I’m a mom and I believe education is the foundation for opportunity for everyone in our country.Every child in Michigan deserves a strong public education. That means funding universal pre-kindergarten and fully funding K-12 schools, with well-supported union educators, like my mom, whose MEA union membership ensured I had excellent health care growing up. It means giving students choices that match their skills, goals, and the job market. It means making it easier for parents to pay for childcare. It means not allowing the destruction of the Department of Education. We must do all this and more to strengthen our public schools to give opportunity to every child.In Congress, I will fight to:Restore the disastrous cuts made to the Department of Education, which have resulted in a loss of services to students in our district.Invest in programs that support multiple post-secondary career pathways including college, trade schools, and technical education programs.Fully fund and protect Title 1 programs that provide funding for essential programs for under-advantaged children and those with special needs.Ensure academic excellence in public schools by supporting standards and accountability programs in partnership with parents and educators to increase reading, writing, and math levels.Increase the childcare tax credit for working families and make it refundable.Expand 529 tax-advantaged education savings plans to cover childcare and preschool expenses.Reverse the Medicaid cuts that stripped funding for special education programs including ADA infrastructure upgrades for disabled students.Support the collective bargaining rights of teachers, administrators, and staff.Restore access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for educators as a qualified profession and pay them like the professionals they are.Protecting Fundamental Rights and FreedomsI dedicated my life to fighting for freedom and democracy around the world. I never dreamed I’d need to do it at home. While the Trump Administration tries to take away our rights and reverse the progress we’ve made as a country, I will always fight to protect the rights and freedoms that have made our nation great – from civil rights to voting rights to reproductive rights.Like most Michiganders, I’m appalled at what President Trump, the Supreme Court, and extremists in Washington have done to take away the fundamental right of women to control their own bodies. This includes my Republican opponent, Tom Barrett, who has a long record of opposing women’s health care rights at the state and national level. Congressman Barrett said he is “100% pro-life - no exceptions” and introduced legislation in Michigan to make some abortions punishable by up to two years in prison, with no exceptions for rape or incest. In the last election, he dismissed women’s health care as an important issue because “my opponent is not a woman.” Simply put, that’s outrageous. It’s no wonder he’s willfully participating in Trump’s dismantling of our fundamental rights and freedoms. I won’t stand for it.In Congress, I will fight to:Uphold our Constitution including First Amendment rights to free speech, the free press, and freedom of assembly.Ensure that no one is “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law” as guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.Protect the right to vote for all Americans and prevent attempts to restrict voting rights.Codify Roe v. Wade into federal law and oppose abortion bans that threaten women’s lives and attempts to restrict access to FDA approved medication including misoprostol, mifepristone, and birth control.Defend the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community to marry who they love.Confront racism, discrimination, and hatred in all forms.— Bridget Brink's campaign website (May 16, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.