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Charges are flying in Michigan's Seventh Congressional District race, one of the most heated contests in the country and one that will help determine which party controls the U.S. House in 2011. In the Lansing area, it's hard to make it through a primetime television show without an ad or two pouncing on one candidate or the other – and many of the ads are paid for by third party groups, likely financed by individuals and companies who have never set foot in Michigan, let alone the 7th District. The district includes all of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson and Lenawee County and parts of Calhoun and Washtenaw Counties.
The race between Democrat Mark Schauer and Republican Tim Walberg is a rematch of 2008. In that election, Schauer, then a state senator, defeated Walberg, a freshman member of Congress who won the seat in 2006 after beating moderate Republican Joe Schwarz in the GOP primary.
Two years ago, voters were unhappy with Republican President George W. Bush and the state of the economy. Now the tables are turned -- the economy is still a problem, but President Obama and congressional Democrats are taking the heat.
Republican groups are attempting to tie Schauer to the stimulus bills, even though the first batch of stimulus money came before Schauer was elected. They also imply that the stimulus caused the economic recession, although economists agree the recession was well underway before the stimulus votes were cast, and before Schauer was elected. He has also taken a hit for his health care votes in ads produced by the American Future Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee claiming he supported cutting $500 billion from Medicare with his vote on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that is now law. You can see our review of the ads attacking Schauer here.
Democrats and labor unions are trying to peg Walberg as out of touch with middle class families with ads produced by the Service Employees International Union and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. These ads state Walberg missed a vote to help the auto industry, a vote he did miss because he was in the hospital recovering from surgery. They say he voted for tax breaks for oil companies and hedge funds but opposed middle class tax cuts, and that he wants to eliminate Social Security. Here's where you can find our analysis of the ads attacking Walberg. Click here.
All of the ads mentioned above received fouls from the Michigan Truth Squad. Seventh Congressional District voters have a sea of untruths to swim through before casting their votes for U.S. Representative.
