William LawrenceWilliam Lawrence

Believing that the rent and mortgages are too damn high, Will advocates for major federal investment in quality housing at all price points. He is a strong supporter of the mixed-income housing model and a federal tenant bill of rights to protect residents from corporate, Wall Street price-gouging landlords.

Raised in East Lansing, William has spent his career organizing people to take on powerful interests and deliver real results. As a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, he helped build one of the nation’s most influential grassroots climate organizations — securing historic investments in clean energy and good-paying jobs, including hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Michigan’s 7th District.

This one’s personal to us. Will Lawrence was an original cofounder of Sunrise Movement, and his ideological clarity and creative energy helped propel Sunrise Movement and the Green New Deal onto the national stage.

He understands that the many crises facing us – economic, climate, authoritarian – all share the same causes: the billionaires who are trying to divide us up so they can get away with plundering our country to pad their dragon’s hoard.

He’s been in this fight for a Green New Deal with us since the beginning, and we’ve got his back.

Raised in East Lansing, William Lawrence has been deeply committed to helping not just the people of Michigan’s 7th district but working-class Americans everywhere. As the founder of the Sunrise Movement, Will has a long history of organizing and advocacy. He believes in change, both domestically and abroad. “Politicians in both parties have said there’s money for war, but not anything for Social Security, childcare, or education. That’s a lie. We need to get our priorities straight: stop bombing kids overseas, start delivering for American families. We need to: end the illegal & expensive war on Iran; stop arms sales to Israel & other human rights violators; seek diplomatic solutions to global challenges, not more war.”

William Lawrence is a community organizer and coalition builder who is running for his first term in the U.S. House in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Lawrence understands that many Michigan families are struggling to make ends meet. He plans to lower costs by holding price-gouging corporations and landlords accountable and guaranteeing healthcare for all, protecting Michigan’s water, farmlands, and overall environmental health is also a top priority for Lawrence,guaranteeing a 12-month federal moratorium on new data centers and holding polluters accountable. He is also against endless war. Lawrence has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: Michigan Education Association, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Sierra Club Independent Action, Michigan United Action, Detroit Action, and Clean Water Action. Lawerence’s opponent in this race is Republican incumbent Tom Barrett who is running for his second term in U.S. Congress. Rep. Barrett is staunchly anti-abortion and is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Barrett voted in favor of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" which stripped many Michiganders of Medicaid and SNAP benefits. He also consistently votes to support ICE. William Lawerence is the most progressive choice in this race.

This Lansing-area seat is held by first-term Rep. Tom Barrett. He is being challenged by activist Will Lawrence. In a Michigan cycle supercharged by the open governor's race and a hotly contested Senate primary, this toss-up seat is one Democrats can win with strong organizing and resources.

The AFGE also endorsed the following challengers: Callie Barr (CD-1), Benjamin Ambrose(CD-2), Sean McCann(CD-4), Christian Vukasovich (CD-5), William Lawrence(CD-7), Christina Hines(CD-10), and Jeremy Moss (CD-11).

Challenger