William Lawrence, a candidate endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, secured the Democratic nomination in Michigan's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating two more moderate opponents in a closely watched primary. The Associated Press called the race for Lawrence at 11:23 p.m. EDT.
Lawrence, an activist and co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, garnered 43% of the vote. He outpaced former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, who received 29%, and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, who secured 28%, with over half of the precincts reporting.
Campaigning as an outsider, Lawrence emphasized his independence from "DC insiders and corporate money." His platform centers on reducing the cost of living, protecting Michigan's natural resources, opposing military interventions, and advocating for "Medicare for all," halting arms sales to Israel, and imposing a moratorium on new AI data centers.
Lawrence acknowledged his "socialist" label, stating at a recent campaign event, "Sometimes I call me, call myself, a socialist, other times not." He added, "Sometimes I call myself a progressive, a conservative, a law-and-order candidate, and I think I am all the above, but just that I believe that unchecked capitalism is killing people, and we all know the feeling of being squeezed on every paycheck or on every single bill."
Beyond Sanders, Lawrence's campaign received endorsements from actor Mark Ruffalo, and progressive candidates including Melat Kiros, Chris Rabb, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Lawrence's victory signals a potential shift towards a more progressive stance for Democrats in a district that has historically favored centrists. This district is expected to be a highly competitive general election race.
Michigan's 7th Congressional District has been a swing district in recent presidential elections. In 2024, Donald Trump won the district by one percentage point, while in 2020, Joe Biden also carried the district by a similar margin.
Lawrence will now face Republican incumbent Tom Barrett, who won the district in 2024 with 3.7% of the vote. A recent poll sponsored by Lawrence's campaign indicated he holds a narrow two-point lead over Barrett in the upcoming general election. The Cook Political Report has classified the district as a "toss up."
The general election contest between Lawrence and Barrett on November 3 will be a key race in determining party control of the House of Representatives.