After knocking on hundreds, if not thousands, of doors between the two of them, the U.S. Senate race for Michigan’s 7th congressional district will end Tuesday.
No, it’s not a door-knocking contest, though that is a very important part of the campaign for Michigan’s 7th congressional district. The intrepid door-knockers are incumbent Republican Congressman Tim Walberg and Democratic challenger Pam Byrnes.
And knock they must: on Oct. 15, a Michigan Information and Research Service (MRIS) poll showed Walberg up 51.5 percent to Byrnes’ 48.5 percent, within the poll’s 5 percent margin of error.
Walberg hopes to keep his seat in a swing district that leans Republican; Byrnes aims to turn blue a district that voted in Democrat Mark Schauer in 2008.
The district encompasses 10 counties in Michigan, including Hillsdale County and neighboring Branch, Lewanee, and Jackson counties.
As the race closes, both campaigns remain cautiously optimistic, show no signs of slowing down, and mince no words saying why they deserve the district’s vote.
Walberg said he’s emphasizing the issues that matter most to this district.
“I’m focusing on the issues that the general public is most interested: jobs and the economy, an all-of-the-above energy plan, and the fact that people aren’t trusting the government,” Walberg said. “They think the government doesn’t know what’s going on, that the government won’t protect them from ISIS and Ebola.”
In practical terms, this means doing a lot of door-to-door, said Stephen Rajzer, campaign manager of Walberg for Congress.
“First and foremost, we’re meeting with constituents, talking with voters, doing hundreds of townhalls and constituent casework,” Rajzer said. “Basically, constituent contact, which Congressman Walberg is great at. He remembers where he’s from.”
Despite a slight lead in the polls, neither Walberg nor Rajzer is taking anything for granted. Byrnes, for her part, said she is focusing on the right issues, and that victory is still within reach.
“I’m focusing on my government accountability agenda: I’ll take a 10 percent pay cut, do away with office perks, and demand that Congress doesn’t get a salary when there’s a shutdown,” Byrnes said. “I’m also focusing on education, which is key for economic development and the sustainability of the American economy, especially in this state.”
Byrnes and her campaign manager Karen Defilippi are optimistic about their ground game.
“It’s going really well. We’re obviously knocking doors, canvassing, making calls,” Byrnes said. “I love door-to-door. When I go to doors, two of the three people who answer are very responsive to me, and very positive.” Defilippi said that this feedback was consistent with recent polls, like MRIS’s, that showed a close race.
Both candidates appealed to voters as much with their own personalities as with their plans for the next term.
Next Tuesday, voters will make their choice. And in this race, it may come down to who knocks the most doors.
