Free Republic

JACKSON, MI - The first female mayor of Saline hopes to keep her streak going and become the first female representative in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, currently held by Republican incumbent Tim Walberg. Driskell, a Democrat in her second term representing the 52nd District in Michigan's House of Representatives, announced her candidacy Monday morning, Feb. 9. "I believe in helping neighbors in my district," the Saline resident said. "I hope to bring their concerns to Washington and work toward a better Michigan. I don't believe they're getting the representation they deserve."

Former state Rep. Pam Byrnes, a Democrat from Washtenaw County's Lyndon Township, announced Thursday she's running for Congress to help fix a "broken system" in Washington. Byrnes is seeking the 7th District seat held by Tim Walberg, a Republican from Tipton who unseated Democrat Mark Schauer in 2010 to regain the seat. Walberg held the seat in 2007 and 2008 before losing to Schauer in November 2008. Byrnes will take her shot at unseating Walberg in 2014. "Washington is broken and Tim Walberg is part of the problem. He puts special interests and corporations ahead of middle-class Michigan families," Byrnes...

Michigan Democrats are trying to convince former Rep. Joe Schwarz to run, Dave Wasserman, U.S. House editor for the newsletter, said on Twitter on Monday evening. He cited unnamed Michigan sources, who said the Democrats are "close" to getting Schwarz to run against Walberg. Walberg, R-Tipton, represents the 7th Congressional District that includes Jackson County. Schwarz, of Battle Creek, lost to Walberg in the 2006 Republican primary. Schwarz lives outside the district now that boundary lines have been redrawn. But U.S. House candidates are not required to live in a district to represent it.

The conservative American Future Fund launched TV ads in seven more House districts today, bringing them on the air in 14 districts across the U.S. The total ad buy cost $2.3 million, according to the group's founder, bringing the 14-district ad reservation to $4 million. .... The new districts are Alabama's 2nd, where Rep. Bobby Bright (D) is running for reelection; Georgia's 8th, where Rep. Jim Marshall (D) is running for reelection; Michigan's 1st, where state Rep. Gary McDowell and surgeon Dan Benishek are fighting to replace retiring Rep. Bart Stupak; Michigan's 7th, where former Rep. Tim Walberg (R) is...

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...

Another poll; another Democratic incumbent down big. Just a few days after Reps. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) and Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) saw themselves trailing by 17 points apiece in polling conducted for a Democratic-leaning blog, a Republican poll shows freshman Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) down by nine. The National Research Inc. poll, conducted for former Rep. Tim Walberg's (R-Mich.) campaign, has Walberg leading Schauer 46-37, and 50-40 with "leaners." Another, lesser-known Republican, Brian Rooney, trails Schauer 39-31 in the poll. Rooney is the brother of another freshman congressman, Florida's Tom Rooney (R). President Obama is at 48 percent approval in the...

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...

Washington, Sep 29 - U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) today issued the following statement opposing the Financial Stabilization Package, the deal struck on the bailout of the financial services sector. "Today our financial markets face serious challenges that could result in dire consequences, and while Congress can take action to avert further economic distress, Congress must not take action just to take action. While I applaud the efforts of House Republicans to improve this proposal, the bailout bill up for a vote today is nothing more than an expensive, taxpayer-funded band aid that will not solve our long-term economic problems....

By Chad Livengood clivengood@citpat.com -- 768-4918 A recall effort against U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg is effectively over. Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Harvey Koselka ruled today in favor of Walberg's lawsuit challenging the constitutional validity of the recall against him. "I don't think he won so much as the people lost, really," said James Carr of Jackson, a retired teacher who has led the recall campaign. Walberg's attorney sees victory differently. "This is a victory for the taxpayers of the 7th District," said Eric E. Doster, attorney for the Lansing firm Foster, Swift, Collins and Smith. The U.S. Constitution contains...

Walberg recall language approved By Chad Livengood The Lenawee County Elections Commission today approved the wording of a recall campaign against U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg. Jackson resident James Carr has 90 days to gather more than 50,000 valid signatures across the 7th District, said Lenawee County clerk LouAnn Bluntschly. An attorney for Walberg, R-Tipton, has said the recall effort violates the U.S. Constitution, which has no provision for recalling presidents, senators of representatives. If Carr can get the signatures and the Secretary of State approves the petitions, a recall election against Walberg would held in either February or May 2008....

Walberg subject of recall Thursday, July 19, 2007 By Chad Livengood clivengood@citpat.com -- 768-4918 A Jackson man has started a recall campaign against U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, six months after the Tipton Republican took office. James Carr, 77, filled a recall petition in Lenawee County, where Walberg is registered to vote as a Tipton resident, said County Clerk LouAnn Bluntschly. Carr submitted petition language earlier this month saying Walberg should be recalled because his support of the Iraq war is increasing the federal deficit. "I wanted to recall him the day he was elected, but you can't do that," Carr...

U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz's campaign is calling on the Federal Elections Commission to shut down the conservative lobby Club for Growth after filing a sweeping campaign finance complaint this week. "They should be barred from politics," said Chief of Staff Matt Marsden, who wrote the grievance. "There is such a scope to their violations. They have to understand the rules; they have to play by them." Schwarz was defeated in the 7th District Republican primary in August by Tim Walberg. Club for Growth helped raise more than $1 million for Walberg, who dismissed the club or any outside organization as...

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.

Schwarz loses in heated primary Wednesday, August 09, 2006 By Susan J. Demas sdemas@citpat.com -- 768-4927 Standing in the birthplace of the Republican Party, Tim Walberg vowed Tuesday his resounding victory would deliver the GOP back to its "traditional roots." The former state lawmaker vanquished U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, 53 percent to 47 percent, in the 7th District congressional primary. They faced off in the 2004 primary, which Schwarz won and Walberg finished third. "For two years, the electorate was frustrated at the results of the last election," Walberg, 55, told a crowd of 300 supporters at Daryl's Downtown restaurant...

The Branch County 4-H Fair will be underway, and on Tuesday of that week, Aug. 8, there may very well be a couple of real horse races coming down to the wire as voters go to the polls.

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...

Jim Berryman is no Republican. But he will vote like one next week. The former Democratic state senator will vote in the Republican primary so he can support U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz over challenger Tim Walberg. Four Democrats are running for the same seat, too. But Berryman expects a vote in his party's primary won't matter. The winner likely will lose to Schwarz or Walberg in November. Berryman should know. He ran for Congress in 1998 and lost to Republican Nick Smith. "God bless the Democrats for trying," he said. "But you have got to be realistic: The winner of...