Michigan House Republicans try to hold onto seats

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The cardboard cutout of John McCain stands near the doorway and a white banner hangs above tables of volunteers, welcoming visitors to McCain's Great Lakes Regional Headquarters.

But McCain's campaign pulled out of Michigan more than a month ago, forcing the Michigan Republican Party and GOP candidates like Rep. Joe Knollenberg to find the manpower to make thousands of phone calls, distribute campaign fliers and overcome the doubters in a state where Democrats are favored.

Knollenberg, who has represented much of Oakland County for 16 years, and Rep. Tim Walberg, a freshman in a traditionally reliable GOP district in southern Michigan, are largely fending for themselves against voter unease over job losses, unhappiness with President Bush and concerns about a financial crisis.

Voters in Michigan, even more than in some other parts of the country, say the nation is on the wrong track and give Bush a negative job rating. The state has lost more than 315,000 manufacturing jobs since the peak in mid-2000 and could lose more if troubled General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC successfully merge.

Michigan's unemployment rate was second-highest in the nation in September, and well above the national rate. The state was one of six that together accounted for more than 60 percent of the nation's foreclosure activity in the third quarter.

"We were already down with 8 percent unemployment and when the market dropped in mid-September, we just had the wind taken out of us," said Tom Shields, a Lansing-based GOP consultant. "It's gotten real ugly for Republicans here."

Democrats are targeting Knollenberg and Walberg in Tuesday's election, hoping to add seats in Congress and benefit from Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's strength in Michigan.

Gary Peters, a former state lottery commissioner, has tied Knollenberg to Bush's economic policies while Mark Schauer, a state senator, has branded Walberg as too conservative for the district.

Republicans privately consider the two incumbents to be among the nation's most vulnerable and acknowledge that McCain's departure hasn't helped. Oakland County's leafy suburbs were expected to be heavily contested before McCain pulled out, but GOP candidates now feel like they're having to run for the end zone without the blocker they were counting on.

"We haven't heard anything from John McCain in weeks and Obama is still on the air," said David Dulio, an Oakland University political scientist. "I think that turns into a Democratic advantage down the ballot."

In southern Michigan, Walberg has criticized members of his own party for failing to reduce spending and for supporting the $700 billion bailout of the financial sector, which he said would lead to a massive debt for future generations.

When McCain departed, Walberg said "it was kind've like being squashed." In the month since then, he said, Republicans have rebounded. The Tipton lawmaker has been outspent by Schauer, who has raised about $2 million and picked up labor and party support.

But Walberg has benefited from at least $500,000 in TV ads paid for by Club for Growth, which has attacked Schauer for raising taxes. He has encouraged supporters to help his party return to its roots, noting that Republicans had their first official meeting in Jackson in 1854.

"We've been spanked and now it's time to produce trust in the voters out there, independent or Republican alike," he told party activists in Jackson. "We do stand under the same values and principles that were established under the oaks in Jackson, Michigan, when this party became a party."

Schauer, the Democratic leader in the state Senate, has talked about his work to help local businesses create jobs and his ability to attract independents and moderate Republicans. This week, some voters were receiving mailers citing Schauer's endorsement by Republican Joe Schwarz, a former congressman defeated by Walberg in a bitter 2006 primary.

The district, which includes many farms and communities on the outskirts of Lansing, Battle Creek and Ann Arbor and includes conservative counties such as Hillsdale and Lenawee, has traditionally sent Republicans to Congress. But Schauer contends Walberg has been out-of-step with many Republicans and failed to accomplish anything during his first term.

"I don't think anyone can fathom a Democrats for Walberg group," Schauer said in an interview in Potterville. He said the "general mood of the electorate favors change."

In Oakland County, where "for sale" signs dotting neighborhoods sit next to campaign signs on front lawns, Knollenberg has collected more than $3 million for the race. In past races he has enjoyed a fundraising advantage, but Knollenberg expects to be outspent by Peters, who has raised more than $2 million and received extensive backing from labor unions and outside groups.

The Washington-based Humane Society Legislative Fund spent more than $400,000 to criticize Knollenberg's record on animal welfare issues in an ad showing images of dog fighting. Knollenberg called the ad "an outright lie."

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the fundraising arm for House Republicans, withdrew $600,000 from planned advertising for Knollenberg that was to run the three weeks before the election. The House Democrats' fundraising committee, meanwhile, is spending $1.5 million running ads for Peters.

Over the weekend, Knollenberg was fighting for the district, encouraging workers at phone call centers to help the Republican ticket. The congressman's volunteers planned to call about 100,000 voters during the campaign's final days.

Peters said his campaign considered many voters to be "ticket-splitters" and intentionally avoided relying upon Obama's operation in Michigan. His campaign and its volunteers were knocking on 250,000 doors and calling more than 200,000 homes during the final days.

"We have to start solving problems," Peters said. "We have not had that in Congress — we have had too much partisan bickering."

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