Democrat William Lawrence Confronted Over Past 'Death Wish' for Joe Manchin During Debate

During a debate for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, Democratic hopeful William Lawrence was confronted by his Republican opponent, Rep. Tom Barrett, over a past social media post in which Lawrence expressed a desire for former Sen. Joe Manchin to "hurry up and die."

Lawrence, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, had initially attempted to conclude the debate on a note of optimism regarding bipartisanship, stating his belief that people across the district are united against "endless wars." However, Barrett quickly pivoted, questioning Lawrence's sincerity by bringing up his previous remarks.

"Senator Joe Manchin, former United States senator, when he was not sufficiently active on the radical climate change agenda that my opponent supported, he [Lawrence] didn’t go to him in this welcoming, open-door spirit," Barrett recounted during the debate. "He said, ‘F— you hurry up and die so we can get started.’ Maybe that’s another example of one of his hypothetical tweets, but it sounds pretty direct to me."

Lawrence, in response to the debate exchange, stated, "I have never in my life called for the death of a political opponent."

The controversy stems from a 2021 social media post by Lawrence, then a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, an environmental advocacy group. At the time, Manchin, a key Democratic vote in the Senate, was opposing significant climate change initiatives within the Build Back Better agenda. Lawrence posted on Twitter, "So long, thanks for the memories Our generation says f— you for everything. From these ashes we will rebuild Hurry up and die so that we can get started." Lawrence claimed the post was an excerpt from a song he had written for Manchin.

These remarks, among other past social media activity, were previously unearthed by CNN. Lawrence had been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) until earlier this year. He has also been noted for past outreach to far-left streamer Hasan Piker and advocating for ideas such as mass land redistribution.

During the debate, Lawrence sought to distance himself from his past controversial statements, describing comments made by Piker in 2019 as "despicable." Barrett, for his part, also addressed his own political stances, including distancing himself from former President Trump's rhetoric on Iran and tariffs.

Barrett and Lawrence are facing off in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, a race considered highly competitive and rated as a toss-up by The Cook Political Report.