Progressive activist wins Democratic primary in one of the nation’s biggest House races

Democrat William Lawrence, a co-founder of the progressive Sunrise Movement, has won his party’s primary in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects — a big victory for the insurgent left that also sets up a dramatic general election contrast with Republicans in a crucial battleground seat.

Voters in five states participated in primaries Tuesday, including several with major battleground districts up for grabs in November.

And few are more hotly contested than this Michigan district, where Lawrence bested two prominent Democratic rivals with national security backgrounds after having differentiated himself as the more liberal candidate and as an aggressive critic of data centers.

Meanwhile, the battle between his two Democratic opponents, former Ambassador Bridget Brink and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, became increasingly bitter as the race drew to a close, and the two candidates ultimately appear to have split the more moderate wing of the party.

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