The new congressman from the 7th District of Michigan is Tim Walberg, who reclaimed the district in 2010 after losing it narrowly to Democrat Mark Schauer in 2008. Walberg was born in Chicago, growing up on the city’s South Side. He worked in a steel mill to get through college and ultimately got degrees from Fort Wayne Bible College and Wheaton College. He was a minister for 10 years before running for office for the first time. In 1982, he won a seat in the Michigan House by beating a moderate GOP incumbent. In his 16 years as a state legislator, Walberg had a reputation as a tireless advocate for gun rights, an opponent of abortion rights, and a staunch fiscal conservative. He belonged to a group dubbed the “No” caucus for its unflinching opposition to tax hikes and increased spending. Term limits put an end to his tenure, and from 1998 to 2005, he was president of a conservative education foundation and a division manager for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Read More

The new congressman from the 7th District of Michigan is Tim Walberg, who reclaimed the district in 2010 after losing it narrowly to Democrat Mark Schauer in 2008. Walberg was born in Chicago, growing up on the city’s South Side. He worked in a steel mill to get through college and ultimately got degrees from Fort Wayne Bible College and Wheaton College. He was a minister for 10 years before running for office for the first time. In 1982, he won a seat in the Michigan House by beating a moderate GOP incumbent. In his 16 years as a state legislator, Walberg had a reputation as a tireless advocate for gun rights, an opponent of abortion rights, and a staunch fiscal conservative. He belonged to a group dubbed the “No” caucus for its unflinching opposition to tax hikes and increased spending. Term limits put an end to his tenure, and from 1998 to 2005, he was president of a conservative education foundation and a division manager for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.

In 2004, Walberg made a bid for the 7th District seat when Republican Rep. Nick Smith retired after 12 years. He came in third in a GOP primary field crowded with other conservatives, and moderate Republican Joe Schwarz went on to win the general election. Two years later, Walberg tried again. In a primary challenge reminiscent of this year’s tea party-fueled campaigns, he ran on a record of having never once voted for a tax increase in the legislature. The well-funded anti-tax Club for Growth took notice and poured $500,000 into television ads attacking Schwarz. The national GOP backed the incumbent, and Schwarz had a spending advantage of 2-to-1. Walberg nevertheless prevailed and went on to defeat a weak Democratic opponent, 49% to 46%. He became a prime target for Democrats in 2008.

That year, Democrats nominated Schauer, the Michigan Senate’s minority leader and a former community organizer. With unemployment rising, Schauer focused on the economy and secured an endorsement from Republican Schwarz. Schauer also benefited from the favorable national environment for Democrats and the enthusiasm generated by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign for president. The Club for Growth again spent heavily for Walberg, but Schauer had strong union support and eked out a win, 48.8% to 46.5%.

Walberg came back for a rematch in 2010 in a much more favorable climate for his party. In August, he won a three-way Republican primary with 57% of the vote. In the general election, Walberg and his allies attacked Schauer for his vote for Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus bill, saying that he was part of the problem of deficit spending in Washington. Schauer and his backers portrayed Walberg as too far right for the district, highlighting such positions as his support for privatizing Social Security. They also spotlighted a September radio interview in which Walberg said he didn’t know whether Obama is an American citizen. “We don’t have enough information about this president,” he said. By day’s end, he reversed course and acknowledged that Obama is “certainly an American citizen.”

Outside groups and both national parties showered money on the race. The National Republican Congressional Committee committed nearly $1 million, and the conservative American Future Fund spent another $500,000 to help Walberg. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee invested $500,000, and Schauer received strong financial backing from two major labor groups, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the Service Employees International Union, which together spent more than $1 million. On Election Day, Walberg won the seat back, 50% to 45%.