JACKSON, MICH. —
Amid his supporters, close friends, and family on the second floor of the Commonwealth Commerce Center in Jackson, Republican Rep. Tim Walberg talked about everyone but himself when he won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Michigan’s 7th District on Tuesday.
“I’ve been making a lot of phone calls to voters, thanking them. That’s a lot of what I did [today],” Walberg told the Collegian. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of grateful things.”
While friends snapped pictures on their iPhones, Walberg praised his family and called up various members of his staff to the podium to thank them. He then directed the focus of his victory toward the people who elected him, honing in on the importance of limited government.
“When American people are great, and government is limited, the entire nation is better,” Walberg said to cheering friends and family members at his victory party. “It’s with great resolve and great passion that we have a battle to fight, but it is a battle worth fighting.”
Walberg successfully captured 53.5 percent of the vote with his contester, former Democratic State Representative Pam Byrnes, taking 41.2 percent, according to POLITICO. In the coming term, Walberg said he wants to concentrate on jobs and the economy.
“Jobs and economy are key and reducing unnecessary regulation – in this district energy is a big thing,” Walberg told the Collegian.
Michigan’s 7th District is the biggest provider of energy for the state of Michigan, contributing about 25 percent of Michigan’s energy production, Walberg said.
The Michigan Farm Bureau already indicated that they think Walberg will be good for the economy, shown by their endorsement of Walberg for Congress, said Jackson County Republican Party Chairman Hank Choate, a supporter and friend of Walberg.
“Farmers are fiscal conservatives, and Tim is a fiscal conservative as well. Tim’s been supportive,” Choate told the Collegian.
With the Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate, Walberg said he believes Congress will work more effectively.
“I believe the Senate will be more open, being in the hands of Republicans,” Walberg told the Collegian. “We’ll look to compromise at the very worst.”
Under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s leadership in a left-leaning Senate, 400 bills died, Walberg said.
“That’s a shame.”
But ultimately, Walberg acknowledged God as the giver of victory.
“God will give us the victory not because America is great, but because the American people believe in principles that are timeless,” he said.
