Office politics: After appeal to colleagues, House freshman gets workspace once occupied by his great-grandfather
An incoming Republican congressman is offering bipartisan thanks to his future colleagues for helping him to snag an official workspace that was once occupied by his great-grandfather.
Tom Barrett, who earlier this month flipped the open seat vacated by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, had circulated a letter on Thursday to fellow House freshmen ahead of the office lottery at the Capitol.
During the lottery, new members choose numbers to determine the order in which they can select their offices.
"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," said the letter, posted on social media by NOTUS's Katherine Swartz.
"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," Barrett, 43, said.
According to Barrett, his great-grandfather occupied three different spaces in the Longworth House Office Building.
"If one or more of them become available I would deeply appreciate it if you could afford me the opportunity to select one of them," he said in his note.
A few hours after later, in a potential office politics saga-turned-heartwarming House tale, Barrett shared that he was Longworth-bound.
"We got it! I appreciate everyone who followed along and showed their support," he said.
"Thank you to my Freshmen colleagues, Republicans AND Democrats, who were kind enough to allow me to select the office once occuped by my great grandfather," he said.
In his original appeal to his colleagues, Barrett wrote, "Perhaps 90 years from now one of your descendants will be asking their colleagues to hold your office available for them to occupy."