A self-described socialist backed by Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib just won the Democratic primary in one of the most competitive House districts in the country — and a mysterious super PAC spent over $1 million to make it happen.
William Lawrence, a 35-year-old co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, captured the Democratic nomination in Michigan's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating two moderate candidates with national security credentials. He'll face Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in November in a tossup district that Trump carried by a single point in 2024.
Lawrence won with 43% of the vote, while former Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink pulled 29% and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam took 28%, according to the New York Post. The two moderates combined for a majority — meaning nearly 60% of Democratic primary voters wanted someone other than Lawrence. They just couldn't agree on who.
The New York Times framed Lawrence's win as a victory for "the party's progressive wing" and emphasized his grassroots credentials. NBC News called it "a big victory for the insurgent left." Both outlets buried the most interesting detail: NBC reported that a "mysterious super PAC spent more than $1 million in the race's final weeks to boost him and tear Maasdam down," and that "the spending raised concerns among some Democrats that Republicans might be boosting Lawrence because they think he'll be easier to beat in the general election."
Follow the money. Who dropped seven figures to elevate a socialist in a swing district? Neither the Times nor the Post touched that angle. NBC raised it and moved on.
Lawrence campaigned on opposing data centers, taxing billionaires, Medicare for All, and cutting off arms sales to Israel. He told voters he is "independent of DC insiders and unbought by corporate money." At a Lansing event, he acknowledged the label problem frankly: "People will call me a socialist. Sometimes I call myself a socialist, other times not. Sometimes I call myself a progressive, a conservative, a law-and-order candidate, and I think I am all of the above."
That's a lot of labels for one candidate. What sticks is the Sanders-Tlaib endorsement roster and the platform: universal government healthcare, a federal moratorium on AI data centers, and ending arms sales to America's most strategic Middle Eastern ally.
The district, centered on Lansing, is one of only 18 House races rated as tossups by the Cook Political Report. Outside groups have reserved more ad spending there than in all but one other House race in the country, according to NBC. Control of the chamber could run through Michigan's 7th.
Barrett, an Army veteran, won the district by 3.7 points in 2024. A Data for Progress poll sponsored by Lawrence's campaign showed the Democrat with a narrow two-point lead. Take that with the grain of salt it deserves — a campaign-commissioned poll from a progressive firm.
The real question for November: can a Sanders socialist who wants to ban data centers and cut off Israel win over voters in a district that went for Trump? The moderates who split the vote may have handed Republicans exactly what they wanted.
