Rep. Tim Walberg wins Republican primary as he seeks reelection

ADRIAN — U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg of Tipton easily won his primary election Tuesday as he seeks a seventh consecutive term in Congress.

"Onto November! Let’s flip the House!" his reelection campaign Twitter account posted after the Republican Party's account announced his victory over challenger Dr. Sherry O'Donnell of Berrien County and two write-in candidates.

Republicans nationwide are looking to retake the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November general election.

In November, Walberg will face Democrat Bart Goldberg of New Buffalo, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, along with Libertarian Norman Peterson, Ethan Hobson of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and independent Ezra Scott.

Walberg had received 65% of the vote with 62.5% of precincts reporting just after 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to a USA TODAY tally of the returns.

"Today, We the People spoke loud and clear, and I am honored to be chosen as the Republican nominee for Michigan’s new 5th Congressional District," Walberg said in an emailed statement. "Americans are feeling the pain of the Biden-Pelosi agenda that drove our economy into a recession, and they are desperate to put power back in the hands of effective conservatives. The voters examined my accomplishments, some for the first time, and saw a strong conservative with a proven record of delivering results and fighting for our constitutional freedoms. With this primary election concluded, I look forward to working with people across southern Michigan to win decisively in November and help flip other House seats so we can fire Nancy Pelosi. Our work is just beginning as we need to return to the policies that created economic prosperity, energy independence, and secured borders."

Because of redistricting after the 2020 census, Walberg is running in some new counties in southwestern Lower Michigan along with that were part of his old district, such as Lenawee, Monroe, Hillsdale and Jacks. The new 5th Congressional District stretches across southern Michigan from Berrien County in the west to Monroe County in the east.

O'Donnell was making her first run for public office. She is an internal medicine physician and has made several international medical mission trips, including recently to Ukraine, and she helped care for COVID-19 patients in New York City early in the pandemic.