Race for 7th

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Voters looking for a conservative Republican to challenge U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, in the fall are in a no-lose situation.

The three-candidate GOP field in the 7th Congressional District, which includes Delta Township and Eaton County, consists of Tim Walberg, Michigan’s most conservative member of Congress in 2007 and 2008; Brian Rooney, a former attorney for the Christian advocacy group the Thomas More Law Center; and Marvin Carlson, a businessman endorsed by a national "Tea Party-like" political action committee.

At a debate earlier this month at the Christian Family Centre in Adrian, each was asked 22 rapid-fire yes or no questions on key issues.

They differed on two.

They support the death penalty, eliminating the IRS, English as the country’s official language, offshore oil drilling, a federal affirmative action ban and abolition of the U.S. Education Department.

They’re against abortion, same-sex marriage, changing the Second Amendment and public "entitlements" to illegal immigrants and their offspring.

They think the United States needs to secure its border with a fence and military presence.

They don’t agree on whether to replace the U.S. income tax with a Dick Armeystyle "flat tax" (which Rooney likes) or a larger sales tax, known as the "fair tax" (which Walberg and Carlson like). Also, the don’t agree on whether forced use of "socialists’ works" like those by Howard Zinn should be banned under the 10th Amendment. Rooney said yes but admitted that he didn’t understand the question. Carlson was a yes and Walberg was a no.

The differences among Carlson, Rooney and Walberg come in their style, background and personality.

Walberg, 59, served in the U.S. House in the 2007-08 term before he got knocked out by the Barack Obama wave in 2008. A minister and former state legislator, Walberg is making his fourth straight run for the congressional seat.

Spokesman Joe Wicks said Walberg voted against the Wall Street bailout and proposed a private market-based health care reform bill that "Nancy Pelosi didn’t want."

Carlson and Rooney each question W a l b e r g ’ s effectiveness. Carlson said that as a state legislator, the only thing Walberg did was sponsor a law that put strobe lights on the top of school buses.

Wicks said it’s difficult for a freshman member of Congress of the opposite party to accomplish much, especially one with such deep differences from the House speaker.

Rooney, 37, serves on the board of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ football team, which his grandfather, Art Rooney, started. He served in the Iraqi War as a Marine in such infamous "kill zones" as Fallujah and Najaf, after which he worked for the Thomas More Law Center, which helps "defend the same conservative philosophy he fought for in Iraq."

Carlson notes that Rooney distances himself from his family when it’s pointed out that his uncle, Steelers President Dan Rooney, endorsed Obama, who named him ambassador to Ireland.

Wicks points out that Rooney moved into the 7th Congressional District and filed to run for Congress on the same day. "Tim is a neighbor or they know him. They trust him," Wicks said.

Rooney called the attacks on his family "desperate" and "silly," and makes no apologies that he comes to the race with different experiences.

He also said he’s proud to have moved into the district when many people are leaving the state because of what he called failed policies from the current leadership.

Carlson, 65, is a former Ann Arbor real estate developer who refurbished the Earle Hotel. While his opponents have lived off the taxpayer or family fortunes, Carlson said he’s been making a business career. He received the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus, the closest thing to a national Tea Party political action committee.

Walberg’s knock on the newcomer is that Tea Party types like Carlson could have prevented two years of Schauer by being more active in his ’08 re-election campaign.

"I’m glad you’ve come to the Tea Party movement now but I sure could have used your help the last time around," Walberg said.

Carlson countered by saying he voted for Walberg in ’08. If Walberg wants to blame someone for his 2008 loss, he should look in the mirror.

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