William Lawrence, a progressive insurgent, declared victory over freshman Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) Wednesday in one of Democrats’ top pickup opportunities in the country.
Lawrence led with 51% of the vote as of 2:05 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Barrett came in just behind the Democrat at 47.7% for a seat he won by about 4 percentage points in 2024, when now-President Donald Trump won the district by just 1 point.
“We built an unprecedented movement here in Mid-Michigan, powered by thousands of volunteers, and we showed that you can beat an incumbent Republican without taking a dime of corporate PAC money,” Lawrence said in a press release. “We united people from every corner of this district – and found common ground in opposition to war and data centers, and in favor of good housing and healthcare, social security, jobs and education. Our people-powered movement took on the richest and most powerful people in the world, and we won.”
Democrats had concerns about flipping this seat after Lawrence beat out two centrist candidates, both backed by the Democratic establishment, in the August primary, but he prevailed in the general nonetheless. The race was one of the 21 labeled a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Lawrence, a founder of the climate activist group Sunrise Movement, faced more of an uphill battle to win Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, anchored in the Lansing area, due to his progressive roots and ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, although he was not endorsed by the organization.
“If democratic socialism is believing that everybody deserves a good job and a good home and we should have healthcare that covers us for life, then, yeah, you can call me a democratic socialist or whatever you want,” Lawrence told a local radio outlet.
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Throughout the general election, the National Republican Congressional Committee continuously slammed Lawrence over his progressive views, as Barrett aimed to position himself as the centrist option and create daylight with the president, which includes multiple votes to end the war in Iran.
Lawrence, on the other hand, ran a campaign fiercely opposed to data center construction, which has become a top voter concern.