Mark Schauer For Congress - Homepage Feed

Schauer excited to represent district

Zack — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Congressman-elect Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, said he is excited about facing the state’s looming challenges and opportunities. Schauer defeated incumbent Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, by about 8,000 votes Tuesday and in January will become the first Democrat to represent the 7th District in Congress since Lenawee County was added through redistricting.

“I am very excited, though it’s kind of blunted by fatigue,” he said Wednesday. “I’m looking forward to the incredible personal transition with the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”

Schauer has been the minority leader in the Michigan Senate the past two years, but will be part of the majority party in Washington. He said the spirit of bipartisanship will have to be an important part of addressing the problems and issues facing America.

“We have a lot of work to do. We clearly need bipartisan solutions in Washington. Don’t think that one party has the monopoly on good ideas,” he said by telephone. “This congressional delegation has very talented people. I have known and worked with many of them for a number of years.”

Orientation for the new Congress will be in mid-November. The new representative said he is eager to begin working with the new administration.

“I have met President Obama several times and have had the opportunity to talk to him about the challenges facing Michigan,” Schauer said. “We still have some Michigan Senate business to do.”

Help for the Big Three auto companies is high on the list of priorities for Schauer. Continuing efforts at developing alternative energy sources is another; Schauer said Michigan is among the leaders in the nation in developing new energy technology.

“Our first priority is to determine what we need to do to help the domestic car companies,” he said. “We also have to see how this bailout package will directly affect the people of Michigan, including dealing with foreclosures and rebuilding credit. We need to find clear steps we can take to address our economic situation.”

As for the campaign, Schauer said one of the hardest types of races to run is taking on an incumbent. In the end, though, the people chose change, he said.

“At the end of the day, the public said it wants change in the economic policies,” Schauer said. “Now we have to look for results.”

Since Lenawee County became part of the 7th District following redistricting, only Republicans have been elected to Congress. Nick Smith, R-Addison, served for six terms; Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, and Walberg each served for one. The district includes all of Lenawee, Hillsdale, Jackson, Branch and Eaton counties, and parts of Washtenaw and Calhoun counties.

Read the original story here.

Democrats Schauer and Peters win US House seats

Zack — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(AP) -- Republican Reps. Joe Knollenberg and Tim Walberg are the first congressional incumbents from Michigan to lose in more than a decade, swept up in Barack Obama's Michigan rout.

Democrats Gary Peters and Mark Schauer benefited from Obama's double-digit win against John McCain and concerns about the economy that turned voters against the two incumbents. The two wins give Democrats control of the state's congressional delegation next year for the first time since 2002.

"I think it was a perfect storm," said Knollenberg, who had faced little opposition since his election to Congress in 1992 -- until this year.

Peters' victory in Oakland County underscored the movement of more Democrats into the district and the unease about the local economy, which is heavily dependent upon auto industry jobs. The election coincided with merger talks between General Motors Corp. and Chrysler L.L.C., whose Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters is in the congressional district.

"We are going to be able to take America back," Peters said, promising to enforce trade agreements, expand health care and "fight for the auto industry."

Peters, a former state lottery commissioner and state senator, received 52 percent while Knollenberg received 42.5 percent with 95 percent of precincts reporting. Assisted-suicide advocate and independent party candidate Jack Kevorkian had 2.6 percent.

The margin was narrower for Schauer in the southern Michigan district, but it carried significant symbolism. Schauer's new district includes Jackson, where Republicans held their first official meeting in 1854.

Schauer had argued that Walberg was too conservative for the district and failed to accomplish anything during his first term. Walberg countered that Schauer had supported tax increases in the state Legislature and did not reflect the core beliefs of the district.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Schauer had 48.8 percent and Walberg had 46.5 percent. Two third-party candidates received more than 15,000 votes, or about twice the 7,423-vote difference separating Schauer and Walberg.

"They threw the kitchen sink at us but they just weren't able to save a member of Congress who is just severely out of touch with the district," Schauer said in a phone interview early Wednesday from Battle Creek.

As Walberg's support dwindled, he declined to concede but told supporters that "we're living with the reality right now that it looks like there will be a new congressman for this district."

Peters and Schauer tried to appeal to moderate voters concerned with the loss of manufacturing jobs and a weak economy. They repeatedly tied their Republican opponents to President Bush, who remained extremely unpopular in the state.

Knollenberg and Walberg are the first incumbent members of Congress from Michigan to lose a general election since 1996, when Republican Rep. Dick Chrysler was defeated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow.

Read the full story here.

Schauer declares victory over Walberg

Zack — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

BATTLE CREEK -- Democrat Mark Schauer declared a narrow victory this morning over Republican Rep. Tim Walberg in Michigan's 7th Congressional District -- hours after fellow Democrat Gary Peters defeated longtime Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg in Oakland County.

"It's been a long night and I wanted to make sure you were able to get some sleep tonight and went to bed with some certainty on how this is going to turn out," Schauer told his supporters at a hotel in Battle Creek.

"Bottom line: Tim Walberg can't catch us," Schauer said as the crowd erupted into cheers. "... We did it!"

But Schauer spokesman Zach Pohl said Walberg had not conceded he'd lost the seat that he won just two years ago, when he ousted Rep. Joe Schwarz in the Republican primary. Walberg's campaign didn't return a call for comment.

The Schauer campaign said that with 96 percent of precincts reporting, Schauer had 137,527 votes to Walberg's 129,657 votes. The unofficial Associated Press tally showed 324 of 356 precincts -- 91 percent -- had Schauer with 145,388 votes (48 percent) to Walberg's 141,023 (47 percent).

In the 9th District, Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, was soundly beaten by Peters, a former state senator and lottery commissioner.

Neither result was a huge surprise, because Democrats had targeted both districts with money and resources, and the electorate in both had been trending away from the GOP. They were among the Republican congressional districts targeted nationwide.

If final numbers confirm Schauer's proclamation, Michigan's U.S. House delegation will swing from nine Republicans and six Democrats to eight Democrats and seven Republicans.

The last time an incumbent U.S. House member from Michigan was defeated in a general election was in 1996, when Debbie Stabenow -- now Michigan's junior U.S. senator -- ousted freshman Republican Dick Chrysler in the Lansing-area congressional seat.

Reed the full story here.

Schauer declares victory for Congress

Zack — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, all but conceded Michigan’s 7th Congressional District race to Democratic challenger Mark Schauer, who declared victory about 2 a.m. today.

“It’s a tough district. A Democrat has never held this seat,” Schauer said. “It’s difficult to unseat an incumbent and we knew we’d have to run a near-perfect campaign to do it.”

Schauer said there is a clear contrast between candidates and he expected the race to be close.

“I think it was really a story of turning Michigan’s economy around one job at a time,” he said. “I think we really had a great ground game.”

Speaking to staff and reporters in Jackson shortly before 2 a.m. today, Walberg said
“From the counts that we’re seeing right now, it looks very clearly that when the sun breaks tomorrow, it will not go in our favor. We will hold off til then before making any final statement.”

“But I want you to know that we’re living with reality right now, and it looks as if there will be a new U.S. congressman from this district,” Walberg said in Jackson. “That being the case, I will certainly wish Mark Schauer well when given the opportunity to speak to him. But for right now, I just thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

With nearly 93 percent of precincts reporting as of 2 a.m., Schauer led Walberg 142,542 votes to 138,690.

Lori Stebleton, 46, of Battle Creek said she voted for Walberg based on her positions on moral issues, such as abortion and gun rights.

“That’s the biggest reason I voted this year,” she said. “I’ve never missed a vote yet.”
Joann Walker, 23, of Battle Creek said her vote for Democratic President-elect Barack Obama influenced her vote in other races, too.

“It’s a historic election, and Obama’s going to make a change,” she said. “I think other Democrats will bring change, too.”

Rudy Mausser, 76, of Grand Ledge said he voted for Walberg.

“Of the two entities, I think he told more truth than the other fellow,” he said.

Betsy Caesar, 49, of Grand Ledge said she voted for Schauer.

“I historically have been a Democrat and believe in what they stand for. And I believe Walberg has done a little too much to take jobs overseas,” she said. “We’ve lost a lot of jobs in Michigan and I don’t think he’s helped that at all. And I’m hoping that Schauer will turn things around.”

With the race too close to call, Walberg stayed cloistered with his staff. He declined media requests for interviews and did not answer calls to his cell phone.

Schauer hoped to benefit from a tough year for Republicans and built his campaign around linking Walberg to President George W. Bush, who remained extremely unpopular in the state.

Schauer’s appeal to moderate voters targeted concerns with the loss of manufacturing jobs and a weakened economy.

Read the original story here.

Democrat Schauer defeats Walberg in hard-fought U.S. House race

Zack — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Democratic challenger Mark Schauer appeared headed to victory early this morning over incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in the 7th Congressional District, although Walberg had yet to concede.

As Walberg’s support dwindled, he declined to concede but told supporters that “we’re living with the reality right now that it looks like there will be a new congressman for this district.”

Shauer is the second Democratic challenger to upset a GOP incumbent. In the 9th District Tuesday, Gary Peters defeated 16-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

"I feel tired but I feel great," Shauer said. "It was a hard-fought campaign, I knew it would be close, but I stuck to my message of trying to help businesses and the people of the 7th District."

The race was an expensive contest, which saw both sides unleash a barrage of negative television advertising.

Shauer is the first Democrat in decades to hold the seat.

Read the original story here.

Schauer the better choice for Congress

Zack — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The following is a Jackson Citizen Patriot editorial for November 2:

Voters in the 7th Congressional District might express relief more than anything else at the end of the $6 million-plus campaign between Mark Schauer and Rep. Tim Walberg. Their scorched-earth battle of misinformation and even outright lies has not been worthy of two honorable men or the district they want to represent.

The choice for voters Tuesday is made more complicated by the fact that neither Schauer nor Walberg truly represents this seven-county district. Both veer toward ideological extremes.

Schauer has carried the water for a Democratic Party that has raised taxes in this state and stands poised to do the same to the entire country.

Walberg has been faithfully conservative on social and fiscal issues, yet so much so that he borders on irrelevancy. He nicely articulates a vision for limited, low-tax government, but has little record in the Legislature and in two years in Washington of governing practically.

Ideology may well shape many voters' decisions in this high-decibel race, but we offer our endorsement using another standard: Who can better serve this district in Washington? In that respect, Mark Schauer is the better choice.

We do not suggest that voters choose the person they believe can bring home the pork. Whoever is elected goes to a Capitol that needs a fresh start, to cut back on gluttonous Bridges to Nowhere and pet projects that benefit nothing but politicians' chances of re-election.

Even so, this congressional district — and every district — deserves an advocate. It needs someone who can identify priorities and fight to see they are met.

The Jackson area needs money to modernize I-94. Michigan's automakers (and, by extension, their local suppliers) need federal assistance. Economic development projects involving government contracts or regulations need attention from a local lawmaker.

Walberg's record in this regard has been spotty. Schauer's has been exceptional.

As state senator, Schauer was vital to the recent creation of a SmartZone in Blackman Township. From various accounts, he was the one who lobbied the governor to expand the number of these business-friendly zones in Michigan and to make sure that Blackman got a fair shot. Local economic-development leaders identified this as a priority, and Schauer delivered.

It has not been the first time. Schauer supported tweaking the state's tax code to persuade companies like Production Engineering to stay and, in fact, expand their operations in Michigan.

From the day he was elected six years ago, Schauer has courted Jackson County like few other elected officials. He has been visible and worked time and again for local projects. While he lives in Battle Creek and is a Democrat, Schauer has drawn support from many Jackson-area Republicans.

Walberg, who lives in Lenawee County, has been sincere in getting to know this congressional district, and Jackson in particular. But delivering money for local projects simply is not in his DNA.

A telling example of that came last year when Walberg helped secure $350,000 in federal money for Jackson's public buses — but then voted against the bill that included that money.

In that case and almost any other, Walberg deserves credit for standing on principle. We wish that after two decades in politics, however, that the congressman could see the need to be more pragmatic.

There are drawbacks to a Schauer victory. He would become the fourth congressman in four terms for this district, and turnover does not translate into clout in Washington.

We also fear Schauer will provide little resistance to the Democratic tide that appears likely to sweep Michigan and the nation Tuesday. If Barack Obama wins the presidency, and the Congress becomes overwhelmingly Democratic, where will be the counterweight against raising business, capital-gains and individual taxes? That type of action would threaten already fragile hopes for a quick economic rebound.

Schauer is nothing if not effective, however. He has shown throughout his political career — as a Battle Creek city councilman and spending six years in the state House and six years in the Senate — that he cares about improving people's lives in a personal, tangible way.

He and Walberg share a priority of creating jobs. Schauer has been relentless in delivering results, even if they are compromises. Walberg would sacrifice what his constituents need at the cost of a principled defeat.

Much as we respect Tim Walberg and his two years in Washington, we endorse a better candidate for his seat: Mark Schauer.

Read the original story here.

Campaign for Congress down to final moments

Zack — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With three days to go, Tim Walberg and Mark Schauer are making their last rounds before one of them claims victory on Tuesday. They both stopped in Battle Creek on Saturday.

State Sen. Schauer, D-Bedford Township, is trying to unseat incumbent Walberg, a Tipton Republican, for Michigan's 7th Congressional District.

Walberg stumped in front of about 50 people at the G.O.P. headquarters on Beckley Road, and Schauer visited Nottke's Family Fun Center on Columbia Avenue.

The Republican incumbent said a woman approached him Friday, saying she is tired of negative campaigning.

He responded by stating that Schauer voted for the largest tax increase in the history of Michigan; that his opponent voted for driver's licenses for illegal aliens five months after Sept. 11, 2001; that he supports universal government-sponsored health care; that he supports amnesty; and that he has spoken out against the war and said the surge wasn't working.

"How do you make a negative record like that sound positive?" Walberg asked.

Schauer, in talking to voters at Nottke's on Saturday night, handed out flyers that outline his role in helping create or save more than 850 jobs in the area.

"I've talked throughout my campaign about my record of helping businesses stay and grow in Michigan," Schauer said. "I'm working every day to help working-class people. I think Washington is broken, and is ignoring the unique challenges we face here."

He said Walberg is "out of touch" and "out of the loop" when it comes to helping Michigan families.

"Unfortunately for Walberg, he's mired in the same politics as usual," Schauer said. "He doesn't have one policy he can defend. All he can do is attack me."

Torby Boykins, 35, of Battle Creek, plans to vote for Schauer.

"We need change here," Boykins said between frames at the bowling alley. "Bush tore everything up. The middle class need help, and the lower class need help. We don't need more of the same thing."

Jim Greenfield, 49, said Walberg supports a more fair tax structure.

"I think we need to take politics out of taxation," Greenfield said, adding that an income-based tax is not fair. "Just because I make a lot of money doesn't mean I should be taxed arbitrarily higher. Fairness needs to be fair."

Greenfield, of Battle Creek, describes this as "an ugly campaign year."

Schauer said Walberg has supported unfair trade agreements, and that his tax plan is burdensome.

"This so-called fair tax is a 23 percent tax on every purchase," Schauer said. "It's so bad that even George W. Bush's tax advisory panel rejected the idea. It's a very regressive tax. Tim Walberg supports a failed trickle-down economy that has created a huge budget deficit and eroded the middle class."

Walberg said many political ads have made false claims against him.

"I'm glad to respond to my record," he said. "A record that has never offered privatization for Social Security, regardless of what (Schauer) said. A record that has never said that outsourcing is a good thing."

Walberg said one ad claimed he would deny health care coverage to cancer patients, but that the actual bill he supported "simply said anyone can buy health insurance across state lines."

Walberg said he has personally raised $2.1 million for his campaign, and an additional $2 million has been raised through organizations, which is a record amount for any Congressional candidate representing his district.

"Now that doesn't match the over $6 million for my opposition," Walberg said, "but it's always, in my mind, it's always less expensive to run on a good record than to hide a bad record."

Read the original story here.

Michigan House Republicans try to hold onto seats

Zack — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

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."

Read the original story here.

GOP Slide in Mich. Hews to Economy

Zack — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

JACKSON, Mich. -- Almost everything seems to be on the wane in the self-proclaimed birthplace of the Republican Party.

Jackson County, population of about 150,000, is on pace for about 1,400 foreclosures this year. Unemployment hovers around 11 percent. Talk of the collapse of one of the Big Three automakers permeates local conversation. One of the area's biggest employers, a giant GM plant that builds increasingly unpopular sport-utility vehicles, has become a symbol of the direction where people think things are headed.

With all that has gone wrong, the prospects of Democrat Mark Schauer have gone up. The state senator declared last week that his campaign was going "as good as I could have imagined," and Democrats are hopeful of capturing a House seat that's been in GOP hands for decades.

"What the nation is experiencing now is what Michigan has been experiencing the last eight years," said Schauer, 47, who is running neck and neck in his bid to unseat Rep. Tim Walberg (R).

Schauer hopes to be one of several Rust Belt Democrats to take advantage of resentment about the economy. Party leaders are eyeing more than a dozen seats held by House Republicans across the Midwest, a down-on-its-luck region that could provide a huge chunk of the roughly 30 seats that are expected to flip to Democrats.

It's a dramatic turnaround for what was once fertile ground for Republicans. After the 1998 midterm elections, Republicans held six of the eight governor's mansions in the Midwestern states that make up the Big 10 college conference. They held nine of the 16 Senate seats in the region. The House had just elected as speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), a former high school wrestling coach.

After Tuesday's election, Republicans are expected to hold one or two governorships in those same eight states, which are likely to send four or five Republicans to the Senate. The Midwesterner who now leads the House Republicans, Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio), is fighting for his position.

The sagging manufacturing-based economy has played a central role in almost every successful Democratic campaign, particularly in Michigan. A private economist recently labeled the state's loss of 497,000 jobs this decade as an "unprecedented, Depression level" shedding of 10.5 percent of its total workforce.

The state is facing such tough times that one embattled GOP incumbent, Rep. Joe Knollenberg, is not suffering politically for his support of the controversial $700 billion rescue plan, in large part because voters think the auto industry needs a similar boost. That's a departure from most races in most other states, where support for the rescue plan is weighing down those who backed it.

"We've been through so many rough spots here, I don't think most people blame Joe," said Dennis G. Cowan, chairman of the Republican Party of Oakland County.

Instead, Michigan Democrats are finding success in blaming President Bush for the state's economic woes.

"I would like to think of myself as a Republican at heart," said Travis Beard, 31, co-founder of Worry Free, a landscaping company with 27 employees. But Beard's company is struggling from a heavy influx of competition, mostly, he said, from laid-off white-collar workers trying to make ends meet. Beard used to charge from $14 to $15 per square foot of lawn maintenance, but he has slashed his prices to $10 per square foot to stay competitive.

"I'm ready for change. I'm ready for the gas prices to drop," Beard said at the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce's awards dinner in Detroit's northern suburbs. He expects to vote for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president and is not sure what he will decide about Knollenberg's race.

That Knollenberg, 74, an eight-term veteran, is fighting for votes from the local Chamber is a sign of the tough political times. "They're putting the blame on Bush, and they're connecting me to Bush," he said after the awards dinner at Red Run Golf Club.

Knollenberg faces other challenges, too. After working with the entire state delegation to secure funding for a $25 billion loan guarantee to help automakers make the transition to building fuel-efficient cars, the credit crisis hit and put the industry in an even more dire situation.

Then Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) folded his presidential campaign in Michigan, deciding that the economic woes there made victory impossible. The National Republican Congressional Committee also abandoned plans for an ad campaign on Knollenberg's behalf.

Knollenberg is not used to such tough fights -- his campaign war chest still inexplicably had more than $1.5 million as of mid-October -- and is doing almost all the campaign work on his own. His 69-year-old wife, Sandie, has been going door to door five hours a day.

His opponent, former state senator Gary Peters is running a high-tech voter turnout program with the help of Obama's campaign, an operation that Democratic leaders have identified as one of the nation's best. A couple of dozen volunteers make 5,000 calls a day from numbers listed on bar-encoded sheets so contact data can be maintained. Last weekend, volunteers dropped off 85,000 door-hangers with Peters's image, a strategy that will be repeated this weekend at the other 85,000 homes in the district.

Peters also is focusing intensely on tough economic times that have hit even wealthy Oakland County, which has lost 75,000 jobs this decade. "Most people are coming to the conclusion that the policies of the past have failed us," he said in an interview. "It all ties in with the insecurity people are feeling."

Walberg and Knollenberg's battles underscore the difficulty for Republicans. Walberg, 57, is a first-term representative from the GOP's conservative wing -- he is opposed to abortion rights, government spending and regulation. Knollenberg is a classic country-club Republican whose seat on the Appropriations Committee has allowed him to seed his district with tens of millions a year.

In Jackson, Schauer works out of the county's Democratic Party headquarters on Mechanic Street across the street from Dicker & Deal Cash Center, a pawnshop promising "instant cash" for DVDs, shotguns and bows and arrows. Not far from here, the first convention of the Republican Party was held in 1854.

When he won his state Senate seat in 2002, Schauer became the first Democrat to represent portions of Jackson County since 1899. Mapping out his campaign a year ago, Schauer assumed the Republican presidential nominee would carry the district, just as Bush did by more than eight percentage points in 2004. Instead, his internal polling shows Obama leading McCain by as many as nine points.

"It is truly kitchen-table economics," Schauer said. "We've got to stop the hemorrhaging."

Read the original story here.

Walberg, Schauer plan rash of last-minute campaign stops

Zack — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With just a few days left until Tuesday's general election, both candidates in the 7th District congressional race will be on the road to make a final attempt to connect with voters.

The challenger, state Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, said he was to visit every county in the congressional district starting today to talk about his economic plans and urge people to vote.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, was to speak with area voters at 3 p.m. todaySaturday at the Jackson County Victory Center, 1931 Horton Road.

Schauer was at Production Engineering and Jackson County's Democratic Party Headquarters in Jackson on Friday afternoon. He planned to attend a get-out-the-vote rally and canvassing drive with local steelworkers at 10:30 a.m. todaySaturday at the Teamsters Local 164 Union Hall, 3700 Ann Arbor Road.

Schauer also was expected to be in the Albion area today at Kids 'N' Stuff, 301 S. Superior St., and Norton Country Lanes, 16653 E. Michigan Ave., at 2:30 and 3 p.m., respectively.

He plans to speak to the 323rd Military Police Division at 8:45 a.m. Sunday at the Army Reserve Center, 1401 W. Argyle St.

The 7th District includes Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Branch and Eaton counties, and parts of Calhoun and Washtenaw counties.

Read the original story here.