According to a comment left on Walberg Watch, David Nacht, an Ann Arbor attorney vying for the nomination to take on Republican Rep. Tim Walberg next year, has dropped out of the race, citing the recent decision of state Senator Mark Schauer to enter the Democratic primary:
This is David Nacht. I am withdrawing from the race because I do not believe I have a realistic likelihood to defeat Sen. Mark Schauer in a Democratic Primary. I cannot in good faith ask for donations to support such a long odds effort. […]I intend to do whatever I can to assist the Democratic nominee in this race.
Nacht had displayed some jump in his step last quarter, when his fundraising total of $160K eclipsed Walberg’s poor showing of $119K. While Schauer’s profile as the state Senate Minority Leader has nudged Nacht out of the race, his other two primary opponents, former state Sen. Jim Berryman and organic farmer and 2006 nominee Sharon Renier, have pledged to remain in the primary.
The wildcard here is Joe Schwarz, the Republican incumbent that Walberg dislodged (with the generous helping hand of the Club For Growth). There has been some occasional chatter since last November that Schwarz, a moderate by Republican standards, has been mulling a party switch or an independent bid to reclaim his old seat. A recent poll commissioned by a group of Schwarz associates showing the ex-Representative beating Walberg by a 44%-41% margin as a Democrat has certainly done little to stem the rumors.
Schwarz, for his part, has said that he will not discuss a bid until his role as chairman of a state health care task force concludes on October 1. But if he was indeed planning a bid, Schauer’s entry has thrown a huge monkey wrench into those plans. Since a hypothetical independent candidacy appears to be an unattractive option (with much splitting of the anti-Walberg vote, according to his exploratory committee’s poll), Schwarz may end up wishing that he showed some hustle earlier in the year.
By David Nacht.
As for Schwarz, I don’t see how he could win a Dem primary against Schauer. So that leaves an independent run, but that would be an incredibly tough row to hoe, and I doubt Schwarz is interested in playing spoiler. He would only run to return to Congress.
What are the legal options for a retiring candidate to do with that war chest?
Schauer is a great candidate we can all get behind. Congressional districts, especially battleground districts like MI-07 and MI-09, don’t have enough Democratic money to go around.
We need to support the best candidate pre-primary, and focus all efforts on taking these seats.