Actress Melissa Gilbert running for Congress in Michigan

Actress Melissa Gilbert announced Monday she is running for Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th district.

Gilbert, best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie and serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005, lives in Livingston County with her husband, actor, and Michigan native Timothy Busfield. "I'm running for Congress to make life a little easier for all the families who feel they have fallen through the cracks in today's economy," she said in a statement. "I believe building a new economy is a team effort, and we need to bring fresh voices to the table to get the job done."

In June, the Daily Press & Argus reported that the IRS filed a lien against Gilbert, and she owed more than $350,000 in back taxes. Gilbert told the paper she was "caught in a perfect storm of financial difficulty, which is why I initiated a conversation with the IRS, told them I was having trouble, and together we set up a payment plan." The incumbent, Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Rochester), has released a statement via his spokesman about Gilbert's tax issues, saying she "can afford to have a stylist for her dog, but cannot pay her taxes. Her values are out of whack with the district."

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