Almost an afterthought when the election season began, Lansing activist Will Lawrence has won the Democratic nomination in mid-Michigan's 7th Congressional District, according to reports, riding a progressive wave to victory and a chance − perhaps the best of any in the state − to flip a seat held by a Republican.
Decision Desk HQ and MS NOW called the race for Lawrence before 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 4. Lawrence will face first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, in the November general election in a district considered evenly divided in partisan terms and a key pickup opportunity for Democrats eager to take back majority control of the U.S. House.
But the election of Lawrence, who has the support of progressive stalwart and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
of Vermont, could also present Barrett his best chance of holding onto the seat. Barrett is certain to characterize Lawrence as too extreme for what many consider a more moderate electorate in the district.
The only Democrat in the race who was a native of the district, Lawrence defeated two candidates who seemed on paper better positioned to win based on their records: Bridget Brink, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, who also worked as a military aide to former President Barack Obama.
He was also outraised significantly in terms of campaign fundraising by the other two, who tapped into more support from establishment Democrats. But it was clear as returns came in on primary night that the other two were splitting a larger share of primary vote while Lawrence had to the progressive base to himself.
Barrett was unopposed in the Republican primary.
This has been the most closely watched Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat in Michigan this year given that the 7th Congressional District, anchored in Lansing and stretching across several mid-Michigan counties, is considered a tossup and Barrett vulnerable in his reelection campaign.
If, as many observers predict, the 2026 midterm elections lean toward Democrats nationally, that would be more likely to show itself in this congressional district than any other Michigan.
For months,it's been a hard-fought race with little clear indication of who might have the edge. It was thought Lawrence could be helped by a strong showing in the district for U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who was also running as a progressive stalwart.
But Brink, who split with President Donald Trump over the handling of U.S. support for Ukraine in that country's war with Russia and moved back to Michigan, consolidated much of the support of establishment Democrats. Maasdam, meanwhile, leaned heavily on outside help from Democratic veterans groups and received the backing of a key supporter: U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who previously represented this districtand helped bring Maasdam into the race.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Reports: Lawrence wins Democratic primary, will face Barrett in fall
