The DCCC has successfully recruited Michigan Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer to run against freshman Rep. Tim Walberg.  For those of you who don’t remember, Walberg defeated Rep. Joe Schwarz in last year’s primary in a challenge that was largely financed by the Club for Growth.  Schwarz continues to look at the possibility of another run, probably either as a Democrat or as an independent.  Since taking office, Walberg has established a reasonably conservative record on spending and a generally conservative record on other issues.

This race is extremely important for two reasons.  First, Democrats are looking to return to their entrenched majority status, and this is the type of district that would get them there.  It has a slight Republican lean, but if a Democrat were to take it and hold it for a cycle, he could probably stick around there for quite a while.  Second, the Party establishment often makes the case that conservatives can’t win, at least not consistently, in districts like these.  If Schauer wins, they’ll have a stronger case.  If Walberg holds on, we’ll have another example of a conservative winning and holding a swing district, making supporting conservatives, or at least not actively opposing them, more difficult for the old guard.