“Congressman Walberg may be asleep at the wheel, but his constituents are more than ready for fresh leadership this November,” said DCCC spokesperson Amanda Sherman. “Walberg’s votes to gut the Affordable Care Act, increase premiums, and pass an incredibly unpopular tax scam that gives tax breaks to the wealthy and big corporations at the expense of the middle class proves how out of touch he is to his district. Voters in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District want a solutions-orientated leader like Gretchen Driskell, who will fight to make life better for Michigan’s families, seniors, and workers.”
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The Worst House Republican Slackers | National Journal
By Josh Kraushaar
April 4, 2018
http://njour.nl/s/666081?unlock=BYP1XIWAU58SA5ZT
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the cash-flush GOP House super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, is setting aside several million dollars of its resources to bail out Republican stragglers who end up badly underperforming before Election Day. The news, confirmed by an operative familiar with the group’s thinking, is yet another sign that Republicans are struggling to manage the growing roster of vulnerable members in a treacherous political environment for the party.
Even without these unprepared members in otherwise safe districts, the map is looking increasingly precarious for House Republicans. Democrats need to win back 23 House seats to take the majority, and Republicans are already defending 25 districts that Hillary Clinton carried last year. Add another handful of GOP seats that Trump narrowly carried, and Republicans simply have no room for error.
[…] After talking with leading GOP operatives involved in House races, I compiled a list of the most unprepared Republican members. These members made the cut for poor fundraising, underwhelming polling (public or internal), and/or a voting record out of line with their constituents.
[…] 5. Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan
Walberg was once a regular inclusion on lists like these after he won his first election to Congress in 2006. Despite running in a comfortably Republican district where Trump won by 17 points, Walberg has never won more than 55 percent of the vote since being elected. In fact, he lost his reelection campaign in 2008 precisely because he was caught napping in an otherwise safe seat.
This year has a feeling of déjà vu. He’s facing a rematch against state legislator Gretchen Driskell, whom he beat handily in 2016. But early polling shows her running much more competitively; a February survey conducted by the Democratic pollster Normington Petts showed Walberg polling only at 41 percent and leading Driskell by just 4 points.
One thing to watch: Walberg was first elected with help from the free-trade-supporting Club for Growth. Attacking Walberg’s trade record was a significant element of Driskell’s campaign two years ago. Trump’s protectionist turn could give Democrats fresh fodder to spark intra-Republican party divisions in this Midwestern district.