For more than 30 years and under five presidents, Republican Rep. Fred Upton easily won reelection to his southwest Michigan House seat by promoting “common-sense values” and bipartisan accomplishments.
Republicans and even many Democrats have appreciated his moderate views and the way he hustled around the district on his days back home, meeting people at schools and senior homes and doing weekly radio interviews.
But then came the hyperpolarised politics of the Donald Trump era. Now no one, including Upton, really knows what the future holds for him heading into the 2020 election.