U.S. House, Michigan - 7th District
South central -- Battle Creek, Jackson
Race Forecast: No Clear Favorite
2008: Rep.
2006: Walberg (R) 50 percent, Sharon Renier (D) 46 percent
Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer continues to out-raise Walberg, which Democrats hope will give him the resources to unseat the first-term GOP congressman after an underfunded candidate held Walberg to a close race in 2006. Democrats argue that Walberg is too conservative for the southern rural district; he unseated Schwarz in the 2006 GOP primary by running to his right with help from the conservative Club for Growth. The anti-tax organization is taking a substantial position again this election cycle to support Walberg while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is putting money behind Schauer, who also has received an endorsement from Schwarz, the former GOP congressman.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Mark Schauer, D
- First Elected: 2008 (1st term)
- Last Elected: (%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: No Clear Favorite
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
The southern Michigan counties that make up the 7th take in small towns, farming communities and a few midsize cities. Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger makes his home in Battle Creek, the district’s largest city. The cereal giant is one of the city’s largest employers, and its philanthropic organization donates generously to the Battle Creek area.
Auto parts manufacturing drives small-town economies, especially in Jackson. Outside the cities and towns, expansive fields of soybeans and corn dominate the rest of the 7th, which is the state’s leading producer of both crops. Lenawee County is at the forefront of both soybean and corn harvesting for the region.
The farming counties of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson and Lenawee have been fertile ground for the GOP, and George W. Bush carried all five in the last two presidential elections, despite losing the state both times. Here, even local blue-collar Democrats tend to be socially conservative. Washtenaw County, in the east, is more Democratic, as some residents of suburban Detroit migrate to the outskirts of heavily Democratic Ann Arbor (located in the neighboring 15th). Overall, Bush took 54 percent of the 7th’s 2004 vote.
A Quaker tradition shaped the district’s political and social culture. In 1854, Jackson’s abolitionists selected anti-slavery candidates in a state convention that has become known as “Under the Oaks,” and as the birth of the Republican Party.
Major Industry
Agriculture, food processing, auto parts manufacturing, health care
Cities
Battle Creek, 53,364; Jackson, 36,316
Notable
Sojourner Truth lived in Battle Creek; Battle Creek’s annual Cereal Festival culminates in the world’s longest breakfast table.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 662,563
- Under 18: 26%
- Over 65: 12%
- Married: 58.5%
- Non-Hispanic White: 88%
- Black: 6%
- Hispanic: 3%
- Asian: 1%
- Foreign Born: 2.1%
- Language other than English: 5.0%
- Median Household Income: 45,181
- Owner Occupied Housing: 77%
- Income above $200k: 1.5
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 53.6%
- Blue Collar: 31.8%
- Services: 14.6%
- Bachelor's Degree: 19%
- Graduate Education: 6.8%
- Civilian Veterans: 66,076
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Mark Schauer (D) | 157,189 | 48.8% |
| Tim Walberg (R) | 149,766 | 46.5% | ||
| Lynn Meadows (GREEN) | 9,529 | 3% | ||
| Ken Proctor (LIBERT) | 5,673 | 1.8% | ||
| 2006 | general | Tim Walberg (R) | 122,348 | 49.9% |
| Sharon Renier (D) | 112,665 | 46% | ||
| David Hutchinson (LIBERT) | 3,788 | 1.5% | ||
| Dave Horn (USTAX) | 3,611 | 1.5% | ||
| Joe Schwarz (R) | 2,614 | 1.1% | ||
| 2004 | general | Joe Schwarz (R) | 176,053 | 58.4% |
| Sharon Renier (D) | 109,527 | 36.3% | ||
| Dave Horn (USTAX) | 9,032 | 3% | ||
| Jason Seagraves (GREEN) | 3,996 | 1.3% | ||
| Ken Proctor (LIBERT) | 3,034 | 1% | ||
| 2002 | general | Nick Smith (R) | 121,142 | 59.7% |
| Mike Simpson (D) | 78,412 | 38.6% | ||
| Ken Proctor (LIBERT) | 3,515 | 1.7% | ||
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 45% | George W. Bush: 54% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 47% | George W. Bush: 53% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHWARZ, JOHN (R) | September 30, 2008 | $51,984.00 | $53,647.00 | $43,189.00 | $59,030.00 | $5,000.00 | |
| SMITH, NICK (R) | September 30, 2008 | $5,158.00 | $4,291.00 | ||||
| DEROSSETT, OSCAR GENE (R) | September 30, 2008 | $2,863.00 | $445,500.00 | ||||
| RENIER, SHARON MARIE (I) | November 24, 2008 | $13,382.00 | $13,265.00 | $10,082.00 | $7,638.00 | ||
| NACHT, DAVID ALLEN (D) | November 12, 2007 | $172,796.00 | $168,253.00 | $172,796.00 | $4,543.00 | ||
| BERRYMAN, JAMES MICHAEL (D) | June 30, 2008 | $56,908.00 | $56,907.00 | $49,008.00 | |||
| SMITH, BRADLEY L (R) | September 30, 2008 | $311.00 | $172.00 | $138,150.00 | |||
| WALBERG, TIMOTHY L. (R) | November 24, 2008 | $2,109,377.00 | $2,100,527.00 | $204,866.00 | $1,152,717.00 | $46,812.00 | |
| HORN, DAVID P (TAX) | December 1, 2006 | ||||||
| SCHAUER, MARK HAMILTON (D) | November 24, 2008 | $2,321,942.00 | $2,300,226.00 | $125,300.00 | $1,498,714.00 | $21,716.00 | $14,085.00 |
