Two weeks ago, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) expressed an interest in joining the field of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination against far-right incumbent Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton). After two weeks of rumors and discussions of his possible candidacy comes this news out of Michigan's 7th District, from the AP:

  LANSING, Mich. (AP) - State Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer said Thursday he will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in the 2008 election after declining earlier overtures to enter the race.

I heard the news early this afternoon. Around 2 PM I received a phone call, and 45 minutes later, Senator Schauer visited Walberg Watch, the blog I started to cover the race. He wanted to discuss his decision with me, my fellow bloggers, and the readers of the blog.

State Senator Mark Schauer, a Battle Creek Democrat, was mentioned quite a bit last fall and early this year as a potential candidate for Congress in the 7th District. He's been a fantastic party leader in the legislature, supporting the netroots and working to solve the Michigan budget crisis. His name was even tossed around by supporters of Joe Schwarz in 2006 as a reason not to vote for Tim Walberg, suggesting that Walberg in 2006 would inevitably lead to a Schauer victory in 2008.

Schauer and his staff quashed most speculation this spring, promising to stay on as leader of the Democratic caucus in the Senate until the end of his term in 2010. Most observers-- including journalist Jack Lessenberry-- thought he would have been a formidable candidate, but Schauer seemed determined to sit this election out.

But all of that might be changing.

The Democratic nominee is Sharon Marie Renier. She's kind of quirky and ran an unimpressive campaign in 2004 against Joe Schwarz, losing by 22 percent in a district that went 45 percent to Kerry. To be fair, Schwarz was a popular moderate and well-funded. The fact that Renier got what she did-- with a budget of just a few thousand dollars-- is almost impressive. This year, some speculation followed Walberg's victory on whether or not Renier could make the race competitive, but without polling data, no one could be sure. That all changed, with the release of the first public poll on the race:

MI-07 - M.o.E. +/-4.0% - Conducted Oct. 6-7 by Glengariff Group, Inc.

Tim Walberg (R) - 43%
Sharon Renier (D) - 35%
Undecided - 22%

More in the Extended Entry...

In August, far-right, Club for Growth-sponsored Republican challenger Tim Walberg defeated quasi-moderate Republican Joe Schwarz in the Michigan 7th District primary. It was a vicious primary, sparking an FEC complaint.

Now, the race is between Republican Walberg and Democratic nominee Sharon Renier. When Tim Walberg was looking for a fundraising boost, what did he do? He invited Vice President Dick Cheney to a fundraising lunch that, technically speaking, wasn't even in Michigan's 7th Congressional District.

Who attended? I don't know, but they must have really loved Tim Walberg and Dick Cheney, 'cause it was pretty expensive lunch:

After multiple interviews in which he criticizes Michigan's 7th District's Republican nominee Tim Walberg, Congressman Joe Schwarz picked up his pen once again for a column in Sunday, September 17's Washington Post (apparently available early online). (All emphasis added)

  I am the political equivalent of a woolly mammoth, a rarity heading for extinction. Yes, I'm a moderate.

More in the extended entry...

On August 8th, while all attention was on the Lieberman-Lamont race in Connecticut, a tough primary battle ended as McCain-style moderate Congressman Joe Schwarz was defeated for nomination in Michigan's 7th District. His opponent, former State Rep. Tim Walberg, ran a negative campaign claiming Schwarz was a "liberal," largely backed by the Club for Growth, Right to Life, and the Minuteman PAC.

Following his loss, Schwarz has been largely silent about his plans for the future. However, it's becoming increasingly clear what he does not intend to do:

Some harsh criticism in the extended entry...

When analyzing vulnerable Congressional districts, Michigan is often ignored, having been gerrymandered out of relevancy by a Republican legislature. When it is mentioned, three districts-- the 8th, the 9th, and the 11th-- are usually listed as the only Democratic pick-up opportunites, and even they are considered longshots. These three races are certainly worth watching, and certainly worth supporting.

But there's another Michigan district that's been all but forgotten. It's a district Democrats should win in, and it's a district Democrats can win in. But for some reason, no one's talking about Michigan's 7th Congressional District.

More in the extended entry.