Who’s running against Tim Walberg in Michigan’s 5th Congressional District?

• U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg is running unopposed in Michigan’s 5th Congressional District primary
• Libbi Urban is the only Democratic candidate running for the seat
• The conservative district stretches across Michigan’s southern border and north to Jackson

Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg has a Democratic challenger as he seeks re-election in Michigan.

The Tipton Republican represents the 5th Congressional District, which stretches along the entirety of Michigan’s southern border. It includes all of Jackson County and also covers portions of Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties.

First elected to Congress in 2006, Walberg lost a re-election bid to Democrat Mark Schauer in 2008 but won back the seat two years later and has been in office since. He handily won re-election in 2022, defeating Democratic challenger Bart Goldberg with 62.42% of the vote. 

Related:

• Michigan election 2024: Key dates and deadlines
• Who’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan
• More 2024 Michigan election coverage

Voters in the 5th District lean reliably conservative. In 2016 and 2020, former President Donald Trump won the region with 60.1% and 62.6% of the vote, respectively.

Walberg is one of two major-party candidates who filed required petition signatures by the April 23 deadline. He and Democrat Libbi Urban are running unopposed in the Aug. 6 primary and will square off in the Nov. 5 general election. Third parties can nominate candidates at conventions later in the year. 

Democrats

Libbi Urban: Urban, of Buchanan, is a retired steelworker and former union leader who is seeking public office for the first time. Originally from Indiana, Urban has lived in southwestern Michigan for 28 years and on her website said she was inspired to “step up and look out for working people” because she knows the challenges they face. Urban’s priorities include defending reproductive rights, protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits, supporting farmland preservation programs and investing in public education. 

Republicans 

Tim Walberg: Walberg is currently serving his eighth term in the U.S. House and is the dean of Michigan’s House delegation. Before starting his congressional career, Walberg was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and a pastor. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee. While in office, Walberg has supported gun rights, religious freedom and other conservative causes. He has backed efforts to lower prescription drug costs, update U.S. trade agreements, lower taxes and cut federal spending. Walberg was one of four Michigan congressional Republicans who in December 2020 signed onto an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. In March, Walberg was widely criticized for town hall remarks suggesting that the Israel-Hamas war “should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” though he later argued those comments were taken out of context.