GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After redistricting in 2020, Michigan's congressional district lines changed completely.
We begin our series of 2022 candidate profiles in District 5, most of which wasn't even part of west Michigan in the last election cycle.
Two years ago voters in Genesee, Saginaw, Bay and other counties stretching along the western shore of Michigan cast votes in District 5.
This year, voters to the south, in parts of Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties will decide who represents the 5th Congressional District.
It's quite a change now including parts of Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties as well.
Democrat Bart Goldberg is challenging GOP incumbent Tim Walberg in this new district.
Goldberg has a lot on his plate, he's a newcomer to politics and a newcomer to Michigan but wants to represent the entire southern border of the state.
"The district is huge," Goldberg remarked. "I say that it spans from lake to shining lake. It goes all the way from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie."
He confirmed that voters may question whether he represents their lifelong ideals and values in Michigan. An attorney by trade, Goldberg grew up in Kentucky, moved to Chicago for law school and spent most of his adult life there but points to incumbent Tim Walberg as also having grown up in Illinois.
"I always say that if there's one area that he's proved himself smarter than me it's that he moved to Michigan sooner than I did," Goldberg laughed at the comparison between him and Walberg.
Goldberg says he moved to Michigan never intending to run for office but once here, even before the January 6 riots, thought the country was moving in the wrong direction. He felt more compelled after the districts were redrawn and Walberg would now be representing Goldberg and his community.
"He's just from my point of view part of the problem. He's somebody who plays the partisan games, riling up the base and the thing to me that was just absolutely disqualifying and the real reason I ran is he voted to deny the election results on January 6," Goldberg explained. "Number one about what makes me different between my opponent and myself, I'll have the guts to ratify an election no matter what party won because our nation is so much more important than any political party."
There are other clear differences between the two candidates.
Goldberg is pro-choice when it comes to abortion. He says he trusts women to make that decision.
He supports strengthening background checks and wants to change the age to buy military-style rifles to 21, similar to handguns.
We asked Goldberg what his first objective as a legislator would be if voted in.
"That's a great question," he continued. "One pledge I have made is this: Agriculture obviously is a big industry in Michigan and southern Michigan and in Congress, there's 51 members of the agriculture committee so you might think that we have a handful of them, we don't have any. I have pledged that will be my first choice for committee assignment and that way I'll be able to work on the 2023 farm bill because the small farmers in south Michigan really need some help."
You can look forward to our next profile of Representative Tim Walberg who says he is the same person he was when he first took congressional office 14 years ago.
WATCH our full interview with Goldberg:
