Mid-Michigan has a new Congressman-elect.
Activist and Democratic organizer William Lawrence successfully flipped the 7th Congressional District on Election Night and defeated first-term Republican Congressman Tom Barrett.
According to AdImpact, spending on the race was the most in the country for any U.S. House seat and broke historic records with $66 million spent on political advertising.
Speaking to WKAR News Wednesday afternoon, Lawrence said he was proud of the movement he built with his volunteers and supporters.
"I think people know this is a people-powered campaign. We had thousands of volunteers active," he said. "We knocked on more doors than any House campaign in the country on the Democratic side, and we needed every single one of those conversations to get this done."
Lawrence's campaign has reported more than 200,000 doors knocked in the district through the general election campaign.
Lawrence said the "blue wave" this week that gave Democrats nationwide majorities in the House and Senate gives the party a mandate to make change.
For him, that includes ending the war in Iran, lowering healthcare and housing costs and regulating tech companies.
"We've got to get to work right away in January to pass legislation to make things easier for the people of this district and this country."
Lawrence said he's willing to work across the aisle in his district and in Congress, but he's says he's realistic about the state of partisanship at the federal level.
"I'm not optimistic about a bipartisan miracle in D.C." he said.
"Clearly there's a lot of polarization, and the American people have voted strongly for an overwhelming Democratic majority, and the clearest way to deliver for the American people is for the Democratic House and Senate to get down to the business of passing an ambitious agenda to lower costs and stop these wars."
Lawrence has already begun work on the transition of power for the district and is in the process of hiring staff and setting up his offices both in mid-Michigan and in the nation's capital.
He's set to attend a congressional orientation in the coming days in Washington D.C.
"It's going to be a lot of work, but working hard is what we do," he said.
"We all have to continue to work together of strengthening the social fabric to win the lives that we deserve here in the Lansing area and across mid-Michigan."
Lawrence will officially be sworn in at the beginning of 2027.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Mid-Michigan has a new Congressman-elect. Activist and Democratic organizer William Lawrence successfully flipped the 7th Congressional District on Election Night and defeated first-time Republican Congressman Tom Barrett.
He joins me now to talk about this win and the nationwide "blue wave." Thank you for being here.
William Lawrence: Thank you, Sophia. It's my pleasure.
Saliby: And how are you feeling after your win?
Lawrence: Really excited, really proud of the whole movement that we've built. You know, I think people know this is a people-powered campaign. We had thousands of volunteers active. We knocked on more doors than any House campaign in the country on the Democratic side, and we needed every single one of those conversations to get this done.
So, I couldn't be more proud as an organizer of the movement that we built because it's never been about, you know, what I can do for you or what you can do for me. It's always about what we can do together to win a life that we can afford and enjoy here in mid-Michigan, and this is a big step on that road.
Saliby: You were kind of counted out as a serious candidate at first in the primary, running against two more moderate, maybe traditional candidates.
How are you thinking about this victory in the context of massive wins for Democrats across the country on election night?
Lawrence: Americans all over the country are voting for change. There's a clear mandate that we have got to end this war in Iran that has driven costs through the roof. We need to invest in lowering costs of healthcare and housing, and we need to hold big tech companies accountable for this reckless AI boom that is threatening our jobs and our livelihoods in so many different ways, including through the data centers that they're trying to build all over this district, that people have said clearly they do not want.
So, I'm just thrilled to be part of such a huge wave around the country, and we've got to get to work right away in January to pass legislation to make things easier for the people of this district and this country.
Saliby: In a statement, Congressman Barrett shared he conceded last night. What did you talk about when he called you?
Lawrence: He was very gracious. He offered his congratulations and concession, and I thanked him for his service to our country in the armed services as well as an elected official, and you know, expressed my desire to work with him and his team as we do this transition, and you know, I just also gave him, you know my kudos, my respect for a very hard-fought campaign because he's a very good campaigner.
He didn't make anything easy for us, and he fought hard all the way through. So, you know, it's an honor to have been able to come out on top, and I'm thankful for the grace that he showed in the conversation.
Saliby: Since this was a relatively close race, is there any policy or issue Barrett worked on as congressman that you think is important to continue pursuing for constituents here in the 7th district?
Lawrence: He was one of the few Republicans to vote against the president's war in Iran several times, and you know I've got a lot of respect for those votes that he took, and I certainly will continue to fight to end this war and fight harder than ever before because we can't afford for this to go on any longer.
Saliby: You've pitched yourself as a coalition builder. What will that look like for you in Congress as you work with Democrats from across the political spectrum as well as Republicans?
Lawrence: Yeah, you know, I mean, I think the coalitions we need to build across the aisle need to start here in the district. I found throughout the campaign that there are, you know, there's so much that we share in common.
We don't want to see more endless wars with trillions of dollars. We don't want to see AI data centers. We want good education for our kids, and we want to protect Michigan's water, which is precious, and just be able to enjoy our lives rather than stressing out about every single bill. That stuff that we all share in common, regardless of your political persuasion, and we can come together around that here in the district.
I'm not optimistic about a bipartisan miracle in D.C. I want to be honest about that. You know, clearly there's a lot of polarization, and the American people have voted strongly for an overwhelming Democratic majority, and the clearest way to deliver for the American people is for the Democratic House and Senate to get down to the business of passing an ambitious agenda to lower costs and stop these wars.
Saliby: Just in this last minute we have together, how do you plan to use the next two months to prepare to take office? What does that transition look like?
Lawrence: Yeah, so we're working to get our staff hired up. We're going through that process right now, you know, deliberately but as swiftly as possible. And I'm going to be going up to D.C. over the weekend for congressional orientation, which will go for about a week or 10 days after that.
And then, you know, I'm going to be moving from here to there, just continuing to set up the office in D.C. while also continuing to set up the district office here in Lansing. It's going to be a lot of work, but working hard is what we do, and we've got an amazing movement of people who are ready to help out. And we're going to keep building the movement.
I want to say that, that, you know it does not stop here. We all have to continue to work together of strengthening the social fabric to win the lives that we deserve here in the Lansing area and across mid-Michigan.
Saliby: Will Lawrence is Congressman-elect for Michigan's 7th district. Thank you for joining us.
Lawrence: Thank you, Sophia.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and content.
