CQ in midst of House Ratings Change to No Clear Favorite in MI

It appears that CQ is in the midst of changing two Michigan races from Leans Republican to No Clear Favorite.

I did my daiy check on the CQPolitics.com Election Map, and noticed the number of House races in No Clear Favorite went to 17 from 15. I went to the map and now MI-07 (Mark Schauer against Rep. Walberg) and MI-09 (Gary Peters against Rep. Knollenberg) are “yellow” and in a no clear favorite status.

I expect a story to be submitted by CQ and provide the details in the next day. At that time, the remaining information on the pages will get updated to reflect the “No Clear Favorite” status. Recent polling has been documented on SSP. Details of each race below the fold.

MI-07

2008: Rep. Tim Walberg (R) vs. Mark Schauer (D)

2006: Walberg (R) 50 percent, Sharon Renier (D) 46 percent

Democrats are heavily targeting the seat, arguing that Walberg, who ousted moderate incumbent Joe Schwarz in a bitter primary in 2006, is too conservative for the southern, rural district. Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer continued to out-raise the first-term Republican congressman through the second quarter of 2008 and easily cleared the Aug. 5 primary against Renier, the organic farmer whose underfunded candidacy in 2006 highlighted Walberg’s vulnerability.

MI-09

2008: Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R) vs. Gary Peters (D)

2006: Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R) 52 percent, Nancy Skinner (D) 46 percent

Democratic gains in the Oakland County district combined with Knollenberg’s record low win in 2006 have made Michigan’s 9th Congressional District a top Democratic target and former state Sen. Gary Peters a top candidate for the party in 2008. Knollenberg has eight terms under his belt and has gotten an early start in campaigning for re-election. He raised $1.8 million as of March 31, but Peters is receiving support from the Democratic House campaign committee and had raised three-quarters of a million dollars by the same date.