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Gilbert, 51, who moved to Howell, Michigan, in 2013, said in
a tweet on Monday that she was "excited to announce my run for
U.S. Congress in Michigan's 8th. Please join me in my fight for
working families."
"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," she said in a statement released on Monday by the
Michigan Democratic Party.
Gilbert, who lives with her husband Timothy Busfield in Howell,
about 60 miles (97 km) from downtown Detroit, has no political
background but served two terms as president of the Screen
Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. She also wrote three books,
including the New York Times Best Seller "Prairie Tale: A
Memoir," about her role in the show about a Minnesota farm
family in the 1870s and 1880s.
The former child actress's run as a Democrat comes in a
Republican stronghold district, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Mike Bishop last year won the race to replace fellow Republican
Mike Rogers, beating Democrat Eric Schertzing 54 percent to 42
percent. Rogers had decided not to seek re-election.
The Daily Press & Argus newspaper in Livingston County,
Michigan, reported last month that the Internal Revenue Service
had filed a lien against Gilbert alleging she owed more than
$360,000 in back taxes. Her campaign office did not immediately
respond to requests for comment on Monday.
(Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Eric Walsh)
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