Politics

‘Little House’ Actress Announces Run For Congress As Democrat, Has $360,000 Tax Lien

Derek Hunter Contributor
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Call it “Little House of Representatives.” Actress Melissa Gilbert, who rose to fame as a child playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on “Little House on the Prairie,” has announced she will challenge Michigan freshman Republican Rep. Mike Bishop.

Gilbert moved to Michigan in 2014 with actor husband Timothy Busfield (“Revenge of the Nerds”).

In June of 2015, it was revealed that IRS had filed a tax lien against Gilbert for $360,000 in unpaid taxes.

Asked about the tax lien, Gilbert, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, told the Detroit Free Press, “The truth is I got 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 Free Press asked for additional information from Gilbert, but a campaign spokesman responded, “The statement is the statement.”

Spokesman for Bishop told the paper “(Gilbert) can afford to have a stylist for her dog, but cannot pay her taxes. Her values are out of whack with the district.”

Gilbert’s campaign website has a statement that reads:

Here in Michigan, I know people are doing their best to make a good life for themselves and their families. When it comes down to it, I think that’s what we all really want.
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. 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.
Please join my campaign, and together we can build that new economy for Michigan.

Other than a link to donate to her campaign and links to her social media, there are, as yet, no issue statements or any details on what Gilbert hopes to do in Congress.