Jackson The southern Michigan counties that make up the 7th take in small towns, farming communities and a few mid-size cities. The cereal giant is not only one of the city's largest employers, but it also maintains one of the nation's top philanthropic organizations, donating some gifts to the Battle Creek area. Outside Battle Creek, auto parts manufacturing drives small-town economies, especially in Jackson.
Agriculture dominates most of the rest of the district, with soybeans and corn as the staple crops.
The farming counties of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale and Jackson have been fertile ground for the GOP, which has carried congressional elections. When most of the state went for the Clinton in 1992, the 7th was evenly split. In 1996, Clinton won narrowly. The district's political and social culture has been shaped by Quaker settlements that made the area a station on the Underground Railroad and left many residents sensitive to issues such as racial segregation and the Vietnam War.