Progressive beats GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in key Michigan district

Washington — Progressive William Lawrence beat one-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected. 

The race was one of the most closely watched in the nation. 

Barrett, who was first elected in 2024 and flipped the Lansing-area district red, was one of the first House Republicans to break with President Trump and vote on war powers resolutions to end the war with Iran without congressional approval. Still, Barrett campaigned with Mr. Trump this summer and had his endorsement. 

Lawrence, a climate activist who co-founded the Sunrise Movement and is a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated two moderate candidates who split the vote in the Democratic primary. Lawrence said he let his DSA membership lapse before the primary to "make clear" to voters in his district that he would represent them. Lawrence centered his campaign on the cost of living and opposing data centers.

Barrett also campaigned on data center regulations, though did not go as far as Lawrence in calling for a federal moratorium on their development. Instead, Barrett said the decision should be made at the local level. 

After the primary, Lawrence's old social media posts came under scrutiny, including one that was directed at moderate former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. The deleted post from December 2021, which was reported by CNN, said, "Our generation says f*** you for everything ... Hurry up and die so that we can get started." 

Lawrence distanced himself from past posts, including another in which he called to defund the police, saying they no longer aligned with his current beliefs.