BRIGHTON, Mich.—Progressive Democrat and climate activist William Lawrence defeated first-time Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) in an upset victory on Nov. 3, flipping a bellwether district that houses the state capital.
The win adds one more congressional seat to Democrats’ growing tally of pickups as they hope to reclaim control of the House this year.
The Associated Press called the race just after 2 p.m. on Nov. 4, with Lawrence leading Barrett by 3.3 points. The Democrat’s performance over Barrett is also a stunning victory for progressives, who won a series of primaries and races in blue cities and districts over the past year, but had yet to prove themselves in a swing district like Michigan’s 7th.
In 2024, Barrett won by a nearly 4-point margin over Democrat Curtis Hertel to flip District 7 red. The seat was open after Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) launched her Senate campaign against former Rep. Mike Rogers (D-Mich.).
District 7 includes the state capital, Lansing, and all of Clinton, Shiawassee, Ingham, and Livingston counties. Also included are portions of Eaton, Genesee, and Oakland counties.
Before it was redrawn in 2022 following the previous census, District 7 had elected a Republican in almost every election since the early 1990s.
After the redistricting, Slotkin shifted from the 8th to the 7th District, where she beat Barrett in one of the most expensive House races of the 2022 midterms.
The progressive Democrat co-founded the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for climate action and has backed the Green New Deal. Lawrence also co-founded the Michigan Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition and the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center, while running on lowering the cost of living and stopping “endless wars.”
Lawrence’s push for a 12-month moratorium on new data centers in the United States became a focal point of his campaign.
“We need to put a stop to this, because right now the whole thing is out of control and alarm bells are going off,” Lawrence said at a press conference earlier this year.
A survey released this month by Poll Vault/Emerson had Lawrence beating Barrett 53 percent to 45 percent. An Oct. 23 consensus rating by multiple election forecasters had put the race in the “toss-up” column.
During his campaign, Barrett touted his decades of military experience and his willingness to work across the aisle for his constituents.
“I’ll always put Michigan ahead of political party to make raising a family a little more affordable, stopping Wall Street from buying our family homes, and lowering your taxes,” Barrett said in a campaign video.
The race was the most expensive House election this year at $61 million in advertisements when AdImpact conducted an analysis earlier this month.
Michigan’s District 7 also drew national attention as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threw his weight behind Lawrence, while President Donald Trump backed Barrett.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, Barrett ultimately lost after unseating Hertel last election, who is now the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.
“I think some Republicans were a little turned off because [Barrett] wasn’t in complete lockstep with Donald Trump. But for me, that’s okay,” Republican voter Glenn Gogoleski told The Epoch Times.
Gogoleski called Lawrence a “radical socialist to the core,” and acknowledged the growing discourse over data centers.
“I’ve talked to conservatives on both sides of that argument, and I don’t think anyone has a clear-cut idea of just what is involved,” he said of data center buildouts. “Some are very vehemently anti-[data center], and others are like, ‘Well, you know, it may benefit us to some degree.’”
Several of Lawrence’s supporters who spoke with The Epoch Times after casting their ballots on Tuesday said they had initially supported Maasdam in the primary. A former Navy SEAL and past military aide to Barack Obama, Maasdam ran on a more moderate platform than Lawrence.
Because District 7 includes Republican-heavy areas outside the state capital, Charity Donnelly said she had previously made a calculated decision to support Maasdam because she thought he would fare better against Barrett in the general election.
But since August, Donnelly moved to support Lawrence. She said she had ignored the attack ads trying to brand the left-wing progressive populist as a socialist.
Retired General Motors worker Jim Delcamp said he also voted for Maasdam in the primary over concerns of Lawrence’s relatively young age; the climate activist was born in 1990.
“At a personal level, the guy is wonderful, and I would never say to him anything but good things,” Delcamp said, adding that he has “great hopes” for Lawrence’s public service.
