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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
