Schauer Central

Mark has spent most of his career working with small businesses in south central Michigan to create jobs, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Earlier this month Mark and his wife Christine hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for "My Style Your Style" in Battle Creek.

Here's a clip of what Christine wrote about the opening on the Battle Creek Enquirer website:

While My Style . . . Your Style opened in June, a July 12th ribbon cutting and grand opening event officially kicked off its business of selling desirable brands of ladies clothing, shoes and accessories at a quarter to a third of the original cost. With an appealing and modern boutique-shopping atmosphere, women are flocking to My Style . . . Your Style not only to shop, but also to consign and sell their unused or unwanted items.

“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from the women of the Battle Creek community,” states Christine Schauer, owner and manager of the store. “We opened for business in June with some new merchandise obtained from department store liquidators and recycled items from a handful of consigners. Now we have nearly 100 consignment clients and thousands of fabulous items for sale in our store. Additionally, we are very pleased with our sales to date and are looking forward to a vibrant fall selling season.”

Chris Gautz, business reporter for the Jackson Citizen Patriot, had this to say on his blog today:

State. Sen Mark Schauer, like every other politician this election season is talking about jobs -- How they have created them, and how they have saved them.

Hyperbole aside, most agree that politicians don't create jobs, businesses do.

But now, Schauer can honestly say he is creating jobs. He and his wife recently opened their own small business, My Style . . . Your Style, which Christine Schauer describes as "an upscale ladies clothing and accessory store.

The store is located in the Capital Centre in Battle Creek.

At a townhall meeting in Adrian last night, Schauer was asked if he would welcome a union to organize in his business, and gave the only possible correct answer in a roomful of Democrats trying to get to know him; "Of course!"

So when Mark says he's fighting for Michigan workers and businesses, you know he means it.

We had a few bits of news we wanted to share with you today, in case you missed it:

1. Detroit Free Press Endorsements: The best choices for the U.S. House. "State Sen. MARK SCHAUER of Battle Creek would be the strongest Democratic candidate against U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, who was elected two years ago. Schauer, 46, is the Senate Democratic leader and a proven vote-getter in areas that lean Republican. He has been a thoughtful legislator, focused on protecting and creating jobs."
2. National Journal: Double-Digit Reprise? David Wasserman has an article over on the National Journal website about potential Democratic gains this year, and once again, he put us in the highly-competitive 'tossup' column.
3. CQ Politics’ Top 10: Democrats Dominate Best-Funded Challengers. We came in at #10 on the list!
4. Detroit News Washington Bureau Blog: Schauer pollster says race against Walberg is a 'dead heat'. We released an internal poll today that has us in a dead heat with Tim Walberg. Here's what our pollster Andrew Meyers had to say: "Bottom line, this contest remains close despite Walberg's significant expenditures on incumbency protection, and Walberg remains critically wounded on every key measure for an incumbent. Voters appear more aligned for change today, and Schauer will have the resources to press the case come Election Day."

Today we kicked off a weeklong run-up to the August 5 primary with town hall meetings in Washtenaw and Lenawee Counties. Thanks to our outstanding field team, we had about 30 people attend in Chelsea and more than 60 people in Adrian this evening – right in Tim Walberg's backyard!

Some of the key themes we discussed tonight were:

• Green collar jobs – We talked a lot about the job opportunities presented by alternative energy at both events tonight. In Lenawee County in particular, I could tell there was a lot of local interest in wind and geothermal energy.
• Affordable healthcare – In Adrian we talked quite a bit about finding a workable solution to the nation's healthcare crisis, to cover the one million Michigan residents who don't have health insurance and help make our businesses more competitive.
• Responsibly ending the war in Iraq – Folks wanted to talk about the war and how it is impacting our current economic situation. I reminded attendants of my 2003 vote against a resolution in the State Senate supporting Bush's strategy for the war.
• Lifelong education – We had a fair number of teachers in Chelsea tonight who wanted to talk about the importance of lifelong education as a long-term economic development tool for the state. We also touched on the need to improve math and science education to help make us more competitive for high-tech jobs.
• Fiscal responsibility – In Adrian we talked about the recent news that President Bush will be leaving his successor with a $490 billion deficit, and the need to restore fiscal responsibility in Washington.

Like I said, we had quite a few teachers with us in Chelsea tonight, and one of the highlights of the evening was when we decided to launch an impromptu 'Educators for Schauer' group during the meeting. We signed up our first supporters right there at the Chelsea Depot and I'm sure we'll be adding more over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for this new group.

I'll try to keep you posted over the coming days about our town hall meetings. To find events in your area, be sure to check out our events page.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered this Saturday for the National Day of Action. We had more than 120 volunteers make over 4,500 voter contact attempts in the seventh district in a single day!

This is exactly the kind of grassroots support we'll need to win in November, so if you haven't signed up already or would like to recruit a friend, be sure to check out the volunteer page on our website. Also, don't forget to show your support by requesting yard signs and bumper stickers, and joining us on Facebook.

Thanks again for your continued support!

This weekend, the U.S. Senate voted to approve a housing bill that would help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. From WILX:

Community leaders say Lansing is in dire need of the new legislation to keep foreclosure out of the future for Mid-Michigan families.

"I think it's fantastic, I think that we definitely need more direct funding, and more of an ability to directly help people," said Tiffany Lemieux-McKissic of the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition.

According to RealtyTrac Inc. the Lansing region has seen a 43 percent increase in foreclosures compared to last year; the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition says foreclosure outreach needs have increased, but funding has not.

"You know, we have the counseling, but a lot of times the funding isn't available to give to people if it's too late in the foreclosure process, so I think that that's excellent news," Lemieux-McKissic said.

And from WKZO:

WMU economics Professor James Huong says it could give a kick-start to an economy that has gone sluggish because of tight money.

Sen. Schauer has fought to help pass legislation in Michigan that cracks down on unscrupulous lenders and helps struggling homeowners transition into affordable mortgages. Time Magazine covered his efforts to fight foreclosure in an article published last November:

After Walberg's narrow victory in 2006 (a race in which he outspent his opponent by $1.2 million to $46,000), the Democrats this time have recruited a top-tier opponent: State Senator Mark Shauer, who has championed the predatory lending issue in the state legislature, co-sponsoring legislation that would tighten oversight on loan officers and support programs to help homeowners refinance their mortgages. Schauer plans on campaigning on the issue and accuses Walberg of turning his back on people in need. "The people in Michigan are struggling, and we're doing what we can to help at the state level," Schauer said. "But Washington and my opponent need to step up."

Earlier this morning, Swing State Project posted a list of their "Cash Power Rankings" for House races, and our campaign came in at #9 on the list:

Thanks again to everyone for your continued support!

Today we’re excited to announce that our campaign raised more than $427,000 in the second quarter, which breaks the previous fundraising record we set earlier this year. Combined with the last three quarters when Sen. Schauer outraised incumbent Tim Walberg, we have brought in more than $1.33 million and have more than $928,000 cash on hand.

In this quarter alone, the campaign collected more than 1,100 total contributions, with more than 83 percent of individual contributions from donors in Michigan. With just over 100 days to go before the general election, we have now raised more than our opponent brought in during the entire 2006 election cycle.

Congressman Walberg has done nothing to improve Michigan’s job climate since taking office, but we fully expect him to do whatever it takes to keep his seat in Washington. That’s why it’s so important for us to keep working hard to defend against the impending negative attacks from Walberg’s wealthy donors.

Thanks to everyone in the netroots community for your continued support!

Update: Here are Tim Walberg's numbers for the second quarter. We have now out-raised the incumbent Congressman four quarters in a row...

Raised for the Quarter: $364,924
Total Raised this Cycle: $1,208,345
Spent this Quarter: $114,253
Cash on Hand: $855,137

Update #2: We wanted to share a few more quotes from Deb Price's post on the Detroit News blog...

David Wasserman, the House analyst for the Cook Political Report, said, "Walberg continues to be in grave danger of losing his seat."

Wasserman said Walberg hasn't been able to "remedy the image he has as an ideologue."

Wasserman said about 95 percent of incumbents are considered safe this year, "but this is part of the 5 percent we're keeping an eye on."

Update #3: You can read more from the Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal, Battle Creek Enquirer, Politico, and DailyKos.

Welcome to our official blog, where I will be posting updates from the campaign trail regularly to keep our supporters in the grassroots and netroots communities updated about the status of our campaign for change.

I’m a big believer in the power of grassroots organizing – that’s why I’ve been such a loyal reader and supporter of blogs like Michigan Liberal, Blogging for Michigan and DailyKos. These sites have empowered a whole new generation of voters to get involved in the political process and fight for the kind of change that will move our country in a new direction.

For this race to be successful, I’ll need your help online and on the ground to organize supporters and spread our message across the 7th district this year.

That’s why I’ll need your help this Saturday, July 26, when we will be competing with congressional campaigns across the country for Mobilize for Change: A National Day of Action. The goal is to see which Democratic campaign can recruit the most volunteers to phone bank and canvass that day, and the winner will receive a fundraising letter from a prominent Democrat to a national email list with more than 3 million subscribers!

As most of you know, the 7th district covers parts of seven different counties across south central Michigan, so there’s a lot of ground for us to cover. By signing up to help out on the National Day of Action this Saturday, you can help us reach out to voters in critical areas that will help us win in November – and put us in the running to win this national competition!

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in your area, you can contact one of the following field organizers from the Michigan Democratic Party:

WHERE TO HIT THE STREETS:

Calhoun County
Democratic Party HQ
303 Columbia Ave W., Battle Creek
contact Conor at 269-964-8002 or at churley@michigandems.com

Washtenaw County
Democratic Party HQ
3853 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor
contact Sam at 517-316-7887 or at sharper@markschauer.com

Chelsea Grill Parking Lot
1120 S Main St., Chelsea
contact Maureen at 734-390-9950 or at mmcgonegal@michigandems.com

Jackson County
Democratic Party HQ
218 S. Mechanic St.
contact Matt at 517-782-3875 or at msolak@michigandems.com

Eaton County
Eaton County Democratic HQ
2206 Lansing Rd., Charlotte
contact Zach at 517-316-7887 or at zdillinger@michigandems.com

Home of Mac Wolfe
1406 French Creek Circle, Lansing
contact Tara at 517-316-7887 or at tclark@michigandems.com

Lenawee County
Democratic HQ
227 N. Winter St., Adrian
contact Tess at 517-417-Mark(6275) or ttroha@michigandems.com

Hillsdale County
Public Library Parking Lot
11 E. Bacon St., Hillsdale
contact Melanie at 517-316-7887or at mmcelroy@michigandems.com

WHERE TO HIT THE PHONES:

Calhoun County
Democratic Party HQ
303 Columbia Ave W., Battle Creek
contact Conor at 269-964-8002 or at churley@michigandems.com

Washtenaw County
Democratic Party HQ
3853 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor
contact Sam at 517-316-7887 or at sharper@markschauer.com

Jackson County
Democratic Party HQ
218 S. Mechanic St.
contact Matt at 517-782-3857 or at msolak@michigandems.com

Lenawee County
Democratic HQ
227 N. Winter St., Adrian
contact Tess at 517-417-Mark(6275) or ttroha@michigandems.com

Eaton County
115 W. Allegan, Lansing
contact Tara at 517-316-7887 or tclark@michigandems.com

All locations open from 10AM-6PM (or later). If these times or locations do not work for you, please get in contact with us we will work out a way for you to get involved in our National Day of Action.

Thanks for reading, and check back often for more updates.

In case you missed it, we made ActBlue’s Top10 list last week!

10. Mark Schauer (MI-07)
Michigan State Senator Mark Schauer is challenging freshman Representative Tim Walberg for the Congressional seat for Michigan's 7th Congressional District. Schauer is a long-time public servant who has served as the head of two major community services associations, where he coordinated provision of services like Head Start; city commissioner for Battle Creek; and state legislator. He is currently serving as Senate Democratic Leader.

Schauer, who built a career in community services, has recently attracted donations through an ActBlue page acknowledging Schauer's reliability as an advocate for children. The Schauer example highlights an important feature of ActBlue: by being explicit about the issue that drives a community to support a given candidate, the candidate can better understand what matters to his supporters.

Schauer's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18325
Schauer's campaign site: http://www.markschauer.com/

ActBlue is the nation's largest source of funds for Democrats. Since 2004, ActBlue has sent more than $56 million to more than 3,000 Democratic candidates and committees from more than 395,000 contributors.

On Sunday, Salon.com posted an interview with Washington pundits Stu Rothenberg, Tim Sahd and David Wasserman to Congressional races.

Here’s what Wasserman of the Cook Political Report had to say when asked to name one or two Republican incumbents who are most likely to lose in November:

“If we had to look at a few Republican incumbents who are in real trouble, I tend to think that Tim Walberg in Michigan and Marilyn Musgrave in Colorado are really vulnerable incumbents.”

And here’s what Tim Sahd, editor of the House Race Hotline, had to say in response:

“I'd agree with David on who he picks for Republicans. They would be more the ones who are causing themselves their own problems. In 2006, a lot of Republicans lost not because they sat in bad districts but because they were their own worst enemies. And the ones that prepared themselves, like Chris Shays or Mark Kirk, they hung on. This time, people like Marilyn Musgrave in Colorado and Tim Walberg in Michigan, those are the ones.”

Cook Political Report currently lists Michigan’s 7th district as a tossup, its most competitive category.