With one week left until Election Day, Democratic congressional candidate Will Lawrence is launching a closing tour of the state’s 7th district with stops across mid-Michigan.
Lawrence’s campaign scheduled 24 visits across the district, where the candidate said he will meet with small business owners, sit down with residents at local establishments and knock on doors to hear from voters.
During the announcement Tuesday morning near the Capitol in Lansing, Lawrence reiterated why he believes voters should cast their ballots for him instead of his opponent, incumbent Republican Tom Barrett.
“This campaign has always been about people, whereas Tom Barrett's term in office has always been about doing the bidding of Donald Trump and the wealthiest few in this country,” Lawrence said. “I'm running to be an unbought and independent-minded representative for the people, not another lackey for the corporations and billionaires on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley.”
Lawrence cited Barrett’s vote to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill last year, which cut funding for federal food assistance and medical insurance, among other changes to federal funding.
Barrett introduced legislation in March that he said would make healthcare more affordable.
During Lawrence’s closing message, he invited residents to speak about why they’re supporting his campaign.
One was Jeff Breslin, a registered nurse at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Hospital. He said he is concerned about Barrett’s vote to cut funding for Medicaid.
“When hospitals lose money, they don't cut from the executive level. They close units, then they cut staff, and in the worst cases, they close hospitals,” Breslin said. “The staff are being asked to do more with less. This is not acceptable. These cuts will lead to worse patient outcomes. They will lead to more delays in patient care.”
Another speaker was Mason resident Kelly Kussmaul, who opposes a proposed data center in the city. Kussmaul said she trusts Lawrence to protect the municipality from data center developers because his campaign hasn’t been funded by big tech and utility companies.
“Will understands that Michigan's small towns — Mason, Leslie, Eaton Rapids, St. Johns, Charlotte, Howell, Williamston — are not for sale to giant corporations run by billionaires you'll never meet,” Kussmaul said. “Will knows that these towns already belong to us.”
Utilities have donated to Barrett’s campaign. For instance, DTE Energy donated $2,500. However, in August the representative introduced two bills he said would stop data center developers from undermining local control over projects.
Lawrence’s first stop of his closing tour will be Howell on Wednesday morning.
Barrett is also hitting the campaign trail during this final stretch ahead of Nov. 3. On Tuesday, he joined Vice President JD Vance in Howell to rally voters.
Both candidates are expected to host watch parties in Lansing on election night.
