This endorsement should not be read as a general-election endorsement of the Democratic Party. CIVPAC includes members with different views about which party should control Congress. But we are united in believing that, when Democratic primary voters have a choice between practical center-left candidates and far-left or movement-left candidates, the practical center-left candidate is usually more consistent with CIVPAC’s principles.
Coincidentally, we generally endorse candidates, in both primaries that are more likely to win in the general election because, by virtue of being more moderate, they are more likely to have general election appeal.
Michigan’s 7th District is a competitive, Republican-held district. From the perspective of Democratic primary voters, that matters. The nominee will have to appeal beyond the activist base, speak to a politically mixed district, and show the judgment needed to represent voters who do not want national ideological theater.
Bridget Brink is the strongest candidate in this primary.
Brink’s service as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine gives this endorsement unusual weight for CIVPAC. Support for Ukraine is not a side issue for us. Russia’s invasion is a direct challenge to the postwar international order, democratic sovereignty, and the principle that borders cannot be changed by force. Brink served in Ukraine during the war, represented the United States under difficult conditions, and resigned after the Trump administration shifted away from Ukraine and toward accommodation of Russia.
That matters.
CIVPAC does not believe foreign-policy experience is the only qualification for Congress. Domestic issues matter, but a candidate who has shown seriousness, courage, and practical judgment on one of the defining international issues of our time deserves special consideration.
This primary also presents a real contrast. Will Lawrence is serious about climate policy. CIVPAC does not dismiss climate change, and we have long supported serious climate policy. But the Sunrise Movement style of politics is not the kind of practical center-left governance we believe Democrats should choose in a competitive district. Moral urgency is not a substitute for policy realism, coalition-building, and governing judgment.
Matt Maasdam also brings public-service credentials, and CIVPAC does not dismiss him. This is not a race in which only one candidate has relevant experience. But Brink’s combination of diplomatic service, commitment to Ukraine, institutional seriousness, and ability to speak to voters beyond the activist left makes her the best fit for CIVPAC’s principles.
CIVPAC’s endorsement of Brink is not partisan cheerleading. It is an endorsement inside a Democratic primary, based on the choice Democratic voters actually face. In a competitive district, Democrats should nominate candidates who can combine liberal-democratic values with practical judgment, broad appeal, and seriousness about America’s role in the world.
Bridget Brink meets that standard.
CIVPAC endorses Bridget Brink in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
CIVPAC welcomes comments, corrections, and opposing views. Please share your thoughts on our Contact Us page. If you are commenting on a particular candidate or race, please include that in your comment.