Congressman Loses After Call to ‘Break Satan’s Back’

Archconservative Rep. Mark D. Siljander admitted today that he lost Michigan’s 4th District Republican nomination to an aide of former budget director David Stockman partly because he asked fundamentalist ministers to “break the back of Satan” by helping his candidacy.

The far-right “born-again” Christian from Three Rivers lost a chance for a new term in Tuesday’s primary, conceding to first-time candidate Fred Upton, a former Stockman aide and grandson of the founder of the Whirlpool Corp.

Siljander, 35, succeeded Stockman in the southwestern Michigan post in 1981 after Stockman was appointed budget director under President Reagan.

Conceding the race shortly after midnight, Siljander told reporters that the tape was the key to his downfall. “Maybe it should have been re-worded,” he said.

Siljander said on the tape, mailed to fundamentalist clergy in his district last week, “We must get every single voting Christian to the polls Aug. 5. . . . In order to break this confusion, the smears, the attacks, the impugning of my integrity during this campaign coming up on Aug. 5, this all-important primary, we need to break the back of Satan and the lies that are coming our way.”

In 1984, Siljander allowed his signature to be used on a letter endorsing conservative Republican Jackie McGregor in the neighboring 3rd District, urging voters to “send another Christian to Congress.”