William Lawrence, a 36-year-old environmental activist and co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, has won the Democratic primary for Michigan’s seventh congressional district, marking a significant victory for progressive candidates. Lawrence, who emphasized his support for a moratorium on datacenter construction, defeated Bridget Brink, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and Slovakia, and Matt Maasdam, a former US Navy Seal and military aide to Barack Obama.

Lawrence’s campaign manager, Stevie O’Hanlon, highlighted that opposition to datacenter development was central to Lawrence’s success, noting strong support across the district, including in small towns like Mason where a datacenter is proposed. Lawrence secured endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Rashida Tlaib, and progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

In May, Lawrence stated that datacenters impose an "unprecedented and unexpected burden on the grid to increase overall demand" with no current plan to address this demand cleanly. Supporting this stance, a poll by Data for Progress found that 63% of US voters, including 66% of independents and 47% of Republicans, favored candidates advocating for pausing datacenter construction.

Lawrence said in a statement following his victory, “Tonight the people of Michigan’s 7th district sent a clear message: They are tired of Silicon Valley billionaires and D.C. insiders determining the future of our towns and our country. They want an unbought representative who isn’t afraid to stand up to leaders of both parties and fight for working people.” He will face incumbent Republican Tom Barrett in the November general election.

Sources