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Schwarz loses in heated primary Wednesday, August 09, 2006 By Susan J. Demas sdemas@citpat.com -- 768-4927 Standing in the birthplace of the Republican Party, Tim Walberg vowed Tuesday his resounding victory would deliver the GOP back to its "traditional roots." The former state lawmaker vanquished U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, 53 percent to 47 percent, in the 7th District congressional primary. They faced off in the 2004 primary, which Schwarz won and Walberg finished third. "For two years, the electorate was frustrated at the results of the last election," Walberg, 55, told a crowd of 300 supporters at Daryl's Downtown restaurant...

In his speech, Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) pointed to his unwillingness to compromise his principles, when "pandering [to arch-conservatives] would have been easy." Schwarz said that he and his team had "accomplished great things for the 7th district" and said he was disappointed that voter turnout was less" than he had hoped it would be. He said that there were no excuses for his moderate supporters not having turned out, and that Walberg had won the election in areas dominated by "hard conservatives". The loss was, he said, the result of moderates failing to come out to vote. He pointed...

Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz lost his party's nomination Tuesday, falling to a staunchly conservative challenger in a primary race dominated by a struggle over GOP principles that attracted more than $1 million in spending by outside groups. Schwarz, a moderate who supported abortion rights, was defeated by former state lawmaker Tim Walberg. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Walberg had 53 percent, or 31,869 votes, to 47 percent for Schwarz, or 28,168 votes. Walberg, a former pastor, contended Schwarz's views did not represent those of constituents in the rural southern Michigan district. He vowed to vote against pork-laden spending plans,...

Former state Rep. Tim Walberg defeated freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz on Tuesday night in the hotly contested 7th Congressional District Republican primary. Schwarz, a Battle Creek surgeon, conceded the race after 11 p.m. With 68 percent of the district's precincts reporting, Walberg had 55 percent, or 24,564 votes, to Schwarz's 45 percent, or 19,739 votes. The contest, which has drawn national attention, represented an ideological clash between Schwarz, a moderate, and Walberg, who was one of the most conservative state lawmakers during his 16 years in the state House.

The Branch County 4-H Fair will be underway, and on Tuesday of that week, Aug. 8, there may very well be a couple of real horse races coming down to the wire as voters go to the polls.

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The most important Congressional primary election this year takes place in Michigan’s Seventh District. There a liberal represents one of the most conservative regions in the country. The liberal Congressman calls himself a Republican, in a place where words still mean something. His name is Joe Schwarz. The first time I saw Joe Schwarz was in a six-way Congressional debate at Hillsdale College. Republicans in the district made the mistake in 2004 of tolerating five generally qualified conservatives to run up against Mr. Schwarz and each other in the primary election. At the debate, Schwarz defended his pro-abortion position and...

Today’s New York Post (27 August) carries a story by Niles Lathem entitled “Military ‘Spied’ on Rice.” The good news is that the story ran at all. The bad news is the reporter demonstrated a brass-plated ignorance of how the Able Danger program operated. The lede from this article says, “Cyber-sleuths working for a Pentagon intelligence unit that reportedly identified some of the 9/11 hijackers before the attack were fired by military officials, after they mistakenly pinpointed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other prominent Americans as potential security risks....” Able Danger is/was a computer program which does not target...

SCHWARZ DELIVERS FLOOR STATEMENT ON SCHIAVO CASE "I shall not try to influence the opinion of anyone on this issue. I will simply share with you my opinion, the opinion of a physician of almost 41 years duration." Following is the text of a speech given by Rep. Joe Schwarz in the House chamber on Sunday, March 20, regarding S. 686, "A Bill to Provide for the Relief of the Parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo." Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I shall not try to influence the opinion of anyone on this issue. I will simply share with you...

Schwarz wins GOP nomination for 7th District U.S. House seat By DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press 8/4/2004, 2:26 a.m. ET MARSHALL, Mich. (AP) — Twelve years after losing to U.S. Rep. Nick Smith for the 7th District congressional seat, surgeon and former state Sen. John Schwarz on Tuesday won a six-way primary and will be the Republican nominee in the race to replace Smith this November. Schwarz, 66, a maverick who supports abortion rights, said the race would show whether a moderate could win the rural district in southern Michigan. Schwarz decided late last year to run for Smith's seat...

7th District candidate threatens legal action over gay marriage ads By DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press 7/26/2004, 5:15 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) — As Michigan's Aug. 3 primary approaches, a Republican candidate in southern Michigan's 7th District congressional race is threatening to sue two other candidates for implying in their campaign ads that he supports gay marriage. Former state Sen. John "Joe" Schwarz was deciding Monday whether to go to court to get the ads off the air. A television ad by state Rep. Gene DeRossett, which features two male figurines on a wedding cake, says Schwarz "is against a...

7th District GOP race pits five conservatives against a moderate By DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press 5/19/2004, 11:45 p.m. ET BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's 7th congressional district stretches from Washtenaw County in the east to Battle Creek in the west. On the way, it takes in the city of Jackson, the farms of Hillsdale County and every kind of Republican voter, from religious conservatives to ticket-splitting moderates. This summer, six candidates are aiming to win the hearts of the district's Republicans and find out just how conservative the voters are in this longtime GOP stronghold. Five of the...

Right to Life endorses Bisbee in primary for conservative 7th congressional district The Associated Press 4/26/2004, 10:35 a.m. ET JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — State Rep. Clark Bisbee has received the endorsement of Right to Life of Michigan over other Republican candidates who advocate against abortion in the race for a conservative congressional seat in southern Michigan. "It's going to help out tremendously," Bisbee, of Jackson, said Monday about the endorsement for the Aug. 3 Republican primary for the 7th District seat. Right to Life of Michigan doesn't typically endorse in primaries that feature more than one candidate who advocates against...

DeRossett, Schwarz leading race for congressional seat The Associated Press 4/20/2004, 6:42 p.m. ET LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State Rep. Gene DeRossett and former state Sen. John Schwarz are leading fellow Republicans in the race for a congressional seat in southern Michigan, according to a poll released Tuesday. A third candidate, attorney Brad Smith, won the endorsement of the conservative Club for Growth on Tuesday. The endorsement could bring an infusion of cash to Smith's campaign; the Washington-based group said its members will donate total contributions "in the six-figure range." Smith is the son of U.S. Rep. Nick Smith, R-Addison,...

GOP rivals raise cash in race for U.S. House 6 Republicans in 7th District have over $100,000 7th District GOP race Here's how much Republican candidates in the 7th Congressional District have on hand as of March 31, according to campaign finance records released Thursday: Rep. Gene DeRossett: $547,000 Former Rep. Paul DeWeese: $261,000 Attorney Brad Smith: $239,000 Rep. Clark Bisbee: $201,000 Former Sen. John Schwarz: $144,000 Former Rep. Tim Walberg: $102,000 By Chris Andrews Lansing State Journal State Rep. Gene DeRossett has a substantial money advantage over Republican rivals in the 7th Congressional District race to succeed U.S. Rep....

Right to Life wants to stop Schwarz Abortion rights candidate vies for 7th District By Stacey Range Lansing State Journal Six Republicans are hustling to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Nick Smith, but an early endorsement by the ever-powerful Right to Life of Michigan could stop several anti-abortion candidates in their tracks. The reason: Right to Life wants to block the nomination of former state Sen. Joe Schwarz of Battle Creek, the only abortion rights GOP candidate. "We want to make sure the nomination goes to someone who supports us," said Larry Galmish, director of the Right to Life political action...

<p>After months of indecision, former state Sen. John Schwarz said Wednesday that he is leaning toward running for Congress next year.</p> <p>Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, said he's not certain he'll run, but he believes he would be an appealing candidate to many voters in the 7th Congressional District and is qualified for the job, which six-term Rep. Nick Smith is planning to vacate next year.</p>

Nearly half undecided in 7th District House race Thursday, November 20, 2003 Staff and wire reports Former state Sen. John J.H. Schwarz of Battle Creek would be an instant front-runner in the race to be Jackson's next representative in Congress, according to a poll released Wednesday. State Rep. Clark Bisbee of Jackson leads five Republican candidates with 17 percent support, but the race would change significantly if Schwarz becomes a candidate, the poll found. Schwarz, who ran for the seat and lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Smith in 1992, has not said whether he will run in 2004. Smith...

Andrews: DeWeese sets sights on congressional seat Paul DeWeese isn't ready to let last year's state Senate defeat end his career in politics. The former Republican state representative from Williamston lost a long, tough and expensive race to Democrat Virg Bernero. Now he is renting an apartment in Eaton Rapids to position himself for a 2004 campaign. This time, his target is Congress. He hopes to succeed U.S. Rep. Nick Smith, R-Addison, who is retiring. DeWeese is already on the campaign trail. His loss to Bernero wasn't for a lack of money or effort. He spent nearly $350,000 and was...

First, please don't forget to vote today. I doubt I have to remind anyone here that. Secondly, what's the turnout in your area? Lastly, Go Posthumus, Blanchard, both Dingells, Ficano, Jonathon Grant(over RINO Stewart), Alan Cropsey, Allen Lowe, Steve Vear, Dale Shugars(over RINO Upton), Michelle McManus, and Bob Gosselin.

<p>It's getting chippy along the gubernatorial campaign trail. Nothing really nasty, just aggressive elbowing.</p> <p>U.S. Rep. David Bonior, who went into an attack mode early in the campaign, was the target of weekend jabs from contenders from both parties. Republican state Sen. Joe Schwarz branded Bonior "a socialist." Ex-Gov. Jim Blanchard, a fellow Democrat, called him a far-left "Nader Democrat."</p>

Schwarz says doubts about Posthumus driving GOP supporters his way By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press 4/23/02 6:29 PM LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- State Sen. John Schwarz says doubts about whether Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus can win the governor's race in November is driving disenchanted GOP supporters his way, a charge the Posthumus camp denies. "There's hand-wringing and tooth-gnashing going on," Schwarz said Tuesday. "My perception is that there is great discomfiture in the party in places like Oakland County and western Wayne. ... Those aren't the only places." Anecdotes from Republicans show even some GOP faithful are struggling...

School funding a hot topic for candidates Most running for governor would consider changes By Tim Martin Lansing State Journal Most of the candidates to become Michigan's next governor say they would consider changes to the state's public school funding system. The debate comes as many of Michigan's wealthiest school districts - especially those with falling enrollment - contemplate budget cuts. They want changes in state law that could let them get more money for operating expenses such as salaries and academic programs. Democrats David Bonior and Jennifer Granholm and Republican John Schwarz say they would consider giving local voters...

Sen. Schwarz says GOP is playing favorites By Chris Andrews Lansing State Journal State Sen. John Schwarz Wednesday criticized Michigan Republican Party leaders for taking sides in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Schwarz, a Battle Creek surgeon, said the party had aligned itself with Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus because of Schwarz's stance on abortion, guns and school vouchers. "We talk about a big tent. It's a pup tent. It's a parasol," Schwarz said at a Capitol news conference. "Every candidate who runs in any election should be treated equally until after the primary." Posthumus is a heavy favorite in the Aug....