Frater Mark Schauer Wins Election

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - A narrow victory in Jackson County, Michigan, helped Democratic state Sen. Frater Mark Schauer (Omega, Albion College) unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in the 7th Congressional District.

Frater Schauer declared victory just after 1 a.m. Wednesday in a race that remained close into the early morning hours.

Schauer, the state Senate minority leader from Battle Creek, won Jackson County by a little more than 700 votes. Schauer also secured victories in his home base of Calhoun County, Eaton County and the portion of the district in Washtenaw County.

"It was a combination of a lot of hard work by thousands of volunteers and a strategy of focusing on turning our economy around," Schauer said in a phone interview from Battle Creek.

Prior to the congressional election, some observers said the district's conservative leanings would benefit the incumbent Tim Walberg, who narrowly defeated Democrat Sharon Renier in 2006.

However, the Democratic wave led by President-elect Barack Obama apparently boosted Schauer, said Robert Harbaugh, adjunct political science professor for Jackson Community College and an instructor at Albion College.

Schauer's ability to launch a strong campaign across the district and the amount of money raised and spent on the race, also may have been factors, Harbaugh said.

The candidates raised about $3.7 million combined by mid-October, hitting voters with a barrage of negative advertisements targeting their opponent.

"It's very difficult to unseat an incumbent member of Congress," Frater Schauer said. "We knew they wouldn't give up easily, but we continued to talk about fighting for Michigan's economy and fighting against unfair trade policies."

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Adapted from a AP Michigan Release. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.