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A group launched a 2020 ballot initiative Tuesday to expand Michigan’s civil rights law to include anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, a step that would put the issue to voters if the Republican-led Legislature does not pass the measure. Fair and Equal Michigan, a committee backed by business, political and philanthropic leaders, submitted petition language to the Board of State Canvassers. Once it is approved, the group will have until late May to collect the roughly 340,000 valid voter signatures needed to place the initiated bill before lawmakers. If legislators do not adopt the legislation — similar bills have long...

Update 1145am EST. Many of you are asking for the list of the anti-drilling Republicans. The group who succeeded in pressuring the GOP to cave in calls itself the "Republican Main Street Partnership." They're holding a press conference at 130pm EST in Washington, D.C. to bray about their "victory." Here's some more info: Main Street Leaders who helped broker the deal to eliminate ANWR from budget cuts: Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH), Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY), Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI), RMSP Executive Director Sarah Chamberlain ResnicHere's the complete list of "Main Street" members in Congress. 1pm EST....

On the morning of December 11th, Gretchen Whitmer, the charismatic 42-year-old minority leader of the Michigan Senate, stood before her colleagues in the Statehouse in Lansing, and told them something she'd told almost no one before. "Over 20 years ago, I was a victim of rape," she said. "And thank God it didn't result in a pregnancy, because I can't imagine going through what I went through and then having to consider what to do about an unwanted pregnancy from an attacker."No one in the gallery said a word. Instead, with just hours to go before it broke for Christmas...

Less than four years ago, U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz was huddled in his war room at Schuler's pub in Marshall awaiting the results of his GOP primary election against Tim Walberg. ...... Schwarz went on to lose that 2006 race and returned to practicing medicine in Battle Creek. But after spending three decades in public service, he never gave up the ghost and served on a host of blue ribbon panels, including the Pentagon-appointed commission investigating the conditions at Walter Reed. Now he's flirting with running for governor again after an unsuccessful campaign in 2002. This time, he would run...

LANSING, Mich. - The campaign of former Rep. Joe Schwarz and a Republican group have paid $5,000 in civil fines to settle federal campaign finance violations. The Federal Election Commission said Tuesday that the Battle Creek lawmaker's campaign and the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC coordinated communications for radio ads during the 2006 primary. The FEC said coordinating the work meant the campaign accepted, but did not report, excessive in-kind financial contributions. The Schwarz campaign and GOP group each paid fines of $2,500. Tim Walberg defeated Schwarz in the August 2006 GOP primary and served one term in Congress. Democrat...

WASHINGTON -- Former Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz, who railed against an anti-tax group's role in his unsuccessful 2006 primary, endorsed Democrat Mark Schauer on Tuesday because the organization targeted the congressional challenger. Schwarz told The Associated Press in an interview that he decided to endorse Schauer over Republican Rep. Tim Walberg in the south-central Michigan congressional district because the anti-tax Club for Growth began running ads critical of Schauer's positions on taxes.... Schauer, the state Senate's Democratic leader, supported tax increases in 2007 to balance the state budget and backed Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed 2 percent sales tax on...

Rep. Joe Schwarz campaigned personally with Sen. John McCain and had the support of President Bush -- but what the incumbent didn't have was the right positions on issues for a conservative Republican district in Michigan. His loss in last week's primary to conservative state lawmaker Tim Walberg is being read in Washington as a message to other Republicans about the need to control spending and listen to the conservative base on issues such as immigration and abortion. Although the defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary has garnered the most attention, Mr. Schwarz's loss indicates that Republican...

Former Vice Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman’s loss in the Connecticut Democratic Senate primary may have grabbed the headlines, but Republican Congressman Joe Schwarz’s primary loss on Tuesday may create political waves just as big. Tim Walberg pulled off the rare feat of defeating an incumbent Congressman (by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin). The message from Michigan: the conservative base is tired of big-government Republicans. Schwarz of course was backed or praised by much of the GOP establishment and business lobbying community. He also received help from liberal groups, labor unions, and the union-allied Republican Main Street Partnership. Schwarz’s...

Former state Rep. Tim Walberg defeated freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz on Tuesday night in the hotly contested 7th Congressional District Republican primary. Schwarz, a Battle Creek surgeon, conceded the race after 11 p.m. With 68 percent of the district's precincts reporting, Walberg had 55 percent, or 24,564 votes, to Schwarz's 45 percent, or 19,739 votes. The contest, which has drawn national attention, represented an ideological clash between Schwarz, a moderate, and Walberg, who was one of the most conservative state lawmakers during his 16 years in the state House.

DETROIT - Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz lost his district's nomination Tuesday, falling to a staunchly conservative challenger in a race dominated by a struggle over GOP principles that attracted more than $1 million in spending by outside groups. Schwarz, a moderate who supported abortion rights, was defeated by former state lawmaker Tim Walberg. With 88 percent of the precincts reporting, Walberg had 54 percent, or 30,592 votes. Schwarz had 46 percent, or 26,441 votes. Walberg, a former pastor, contended Schwarz's views did not represent the rural district in southern Michigan. He vowed to vote against pork-laden spending plans, tax increases...

I would urge all Michigan 7th district voters to be sure to vote for Tim Walberg tomorrow and get RINO Joe Schwarz out. Let me know if you're in that district and will vote for him. Thanks.

One of the hottest races in August features two Republicans going toe to toe in Michigan's 7th District. The incumbent, establishment candidate Joe Schwarz, is facing off against conservative challenger Tim Walberg in a Republican primary that will be decided next week, on August 8th. Because there is no serious Democratic challenger in the district, the winner of the primary will be going to Congress. Although Walberg tells me his internal polling has him up, 41-34 over Schwarz, this is an open primary. That means Democrats are allowed to vote and they're expected to heavily favor Schwarz. So, not only...

The goal of GOPProgress.com, according to one of its founders, is to provide a counterweight on the web to conservatives sites like RedState and serve as an online forum for moderate/centrist/mainstreet/mainstream/libertarian Republican candidates across the country. Site editor Liz Mair today calls on RNC chairman Ken Mehlman to stop giving interviews to RedState because they're leading a crusade against MI GOPer Joe Schwarz, who faces a competitive challenge from a conservative. Writes Mair: "Mr. Mehlman needs to hear from Republicans--moderates, libertarians, conservatives and everyone else--that the Chairman of the RNC should not be undercutting the efforts of his President, and...

2006 Congressional Election Cycle Has Begun  50 Republican Incumbents Undeserving of Support by Pro-life Voters   The Republican National Coalition for Life PAC is currently receiving phone calls from Republican candidates for Congress in the 2006 Republican primaries. Our usual practice is to mail our Candidate Questionnaire to Republican candidates in each district as soon as the filing deadlines are reached. When we receive the results of the questionnaire, they are recorded on our website at www.RNCLife.org so that voters can see for themselves it those seeking to represent them in Washington are truly pro-life. We hope that this service...

7th District candidate threatens legal action over gay marriage ads By DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press 7/26/2004, 5:15 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) — As Michigan's Aug. 3 primary approaches, a Republican candidate in southern Michigan's 7th District congressional race is threatening to sue two other candidates for implying in their campaign ads that he supports gay marriage. Former state Sen. John "Joe" Schwarz was deciding Monday whether to go to court to get the ads off the air. A television ad by state Rep. Gene DeRossett, which features two male figurines on a wedding cake, says Schwarz "is against a...

<p>Jennifer Granholm wrapped up the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday, according to exit polling.</p> <p>Propelled by voters who decided months ago to support her and never changed their mind, Granholm led her two opponents by a large margin, the Detroit Free Press/WXYZ exit poll showed.</p>