Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., defeated Democrat Gretchen Driskell in Michigan’s 7th Congressional district on Nov. 8, winning his fifth term in office.
At print, with 96 percent of precincts reporting, Walberg has earned 177,366 votes, against Driskell’s 127,755 and Independent Ken Proctor’s 15,910.
“I really think what the voters were saying tonight is, we were talking about growing the economy, we were talk about lowering the tax burden,” said Walberg’s campaign manager Stephen Rajzer.
Walberg won by more than 40,000 votes in a toss-up district designated by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a seat they hoped to flip in 2016. According to Real Clear Politics, the district historically leaned Republican.
Walberg has won five out of his six races in the congressional district, which stretches from Lansing to Hillsdale and Monroe to Coldwater.
“Tonight was a difficult night for all of us as we conceded the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District,” Driskell said in a statement. “Tonight, I am more proud than ever of our strong campaign, our many supporters, and our message on behalf of the families of Michigan.”
Rajzer said Walberg will look to help House Republicans push their “better way” plan during his upcoming congressional term, but will also look to return to his bipartisan work on combating the nation’s growing opiate epidemic.
Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party Ronna Romney-McDaniel said she believes that President-elect Donald Trump’s success in Michigan helped all of the state’s Republican candidates.
“Trump’s message resonated with Michigan voters,” Romney-McDaniel said. “For Michigan to win and to keep this seat means so much. For our congressional majority it means so much.”
The election concentrated on debate surrounding trade and the economy, with Driskell’s campaign spending thousands to slam “Trade Deal Tim” for his voting history, which showed the incumbent’s favor of multiple free trade bills, as well as his past comments in favor of NAFTA. In return, the American Action Network, a nonprofit that works to elect a Republican majority in the U.S. House, ran ads attacking Driskell for her support of the Affordable Care Act.
According to Rajzer, Walberg’s campaign began with ads promoting his record, but he said the tone of the race shifted when Driskell ran her first ad attacking Walberg’s trade record.
“Did we call her out for holes in her record? We did,” Rajzer said. “We also focused, at the same time, on our accomplishments.”
According to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a nonprofit that follows money in Michigan politics, constituents of the 7th District saw more than $1.5 million worth of TV commercials from the candidates during the campaign.
But the TV ad campaign wasn’t enough for Driskell to overcome Walberg’s lead in the district.
“The people see what they’re looking for in the policies that the House and the Congressman has laid out,” Rajzer said.
