TIPTON, MI (WTVB) – Seventh District Republican Congressman Tim Walberg was re-elected to a sixth term, but he will be part of the minority party in the next Congress after Democrats gained control of the U.S. House.
With 91% of the precincts reporting, Walberg held off the challenge of Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell 53.6%-46.4%. It’s the second straight election that Walberg has defeated Driskell.
Democrats flipped one U.S. House seat in Michigan and nearly flipped one that has been normally considered a safe Republican office for decades. Congressman Fred Upton of St. Joseph narrowly won election to a 17th term in the 6th Congressional District in southwest Michigan, edging Dr. Matt Longjohn of Portage. Upton declared victory around 12:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, Democrat Haley Stevens defeated Republican Lena Epstein in the 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit, taking over for the retiring Republican Congressman David Trott.
