Tim Walberg
Tim Walberg, a Republican and former Michigan state legislator who has represented Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2023, seeks reelection in 2026 against Democrat Christian Vukasovich, a college professor.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Tim Walberg.
- Born
- April 12, 1951
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois
- Education
- Thornton Fractional North High School (1969)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Tim Walberg was born on April 12, 1951, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Alice Ann and John A. Walberg, and his paternal grandparents were Swedish. In 1964 he volunteered for Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign. He graduated from Thornton Fractional North High School in 1969, briefly served with the U.S. Forest Service, and from 1973 to 1977 was pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in New Haven, Indiana.
Career
Tim Walberg served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1983 to 1998 and also worked as a pastor and as a division manager for the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. After finishing third in the 2004 Republican primary for the 7th district, he defeated incumbent Joe Schwarz in the 2006 primary and won the general election over Democrat Sharon Renier. Democrat Mark Schauer unseated him in 2008, 49% to 47%, and Walberg won the seat back from Schauer in 2010, 50% to 45%.
Walberg held the 7th district through the 2020 election, defeating Democrat Gretchen Driskell three times. Redistricting placed him in the 5th district for 2022, which he won with 62.4% of the vote, and he was reelected in 2024 with 65.7%. He serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is vice chair of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.
2026 race
The 5th district is located in southern Michigan and covers the state's entire border with both Indiana and Ohio. Tim Walberg was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 77,105 votes.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Christian Vukasovich, a college professor who was also unopposed for his party's nomination, along with Libertarian Ronald A. Muszynski, Constitution Party candidate Sharon Marie Reiner and Green Party candidate Jim Bronke, a retired engineer who was the Green nominee for the district in 2024.