Lawrence says Brink, Maasdam rejected debate terms, announces he’ll hold July 9 town hall instead 

William Lawrence, a political organizer and U.S. House candidate criticized his opponents in the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District on Monday, saying he was the only candidate who agreed to the terms of a proposed debate hosted by a trio of Lansing-area news outlets.

Heading into the Aug. 3 primary, Lawrence faces former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, as the three candidates each make their case for why they are best suited to challenge U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) in November.

The Lawrence campaign asserts that Brink and Maasdam did not agree to the proposed rules for a debate, which would have been hosted by FOX 47, WILX and WKAR.

In response, Lawrence said he will hold a town hall at the Capital Area District Library on July 9 – the date of the debate – with a seat reserved for each of his opponents.

“Voters deserve to hear all the candidates answer tough questions and debate the issues,” Lawrence said in a statement. “One of Tom Barrett’s biggest vulnerabilities is that he doesn’t show up to answer to the voters. We had an opportunity here to show the Democratic party does things differently, that we will be open and accountable. I’m disappointed in my opponents, but if they change their minds, we’ll hold an open seat for them at our Town Hall.”

According to a copy of the proposed rules provided by the Lawrence campaign – which Michigan Advance verified with FOX 47 News Director Matt Jarchow – the debate would have been an hour long. Each candidate would be given a 90-second opening statement, with 60 seconds to answer each question, a 30-second rebuttal or follow up determined by the moderator, and 90 seconds for a closing statement.

Questions for the debate would be selected by producers, moderators and members of the media panel from community members and viewers via email or social media. The questions would not be shared in advance. It is not clear which debate terms were the source of objection.

When asked why they would not be participating in the debate, and whether Brink would feature at Lawrence’s town hall, Sam Boorstyn, Brink’s campaign manager, responded with a statement saying “unfortunately, all three candidates and the debate organizers were not able to come to an agreement on terms for a debate.”

“As part of her campaign to serve the people of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, Bridget is excited to continue meeting mid-Michiganders across the district, just as she has done since the campaign began over a year ago at nearly 100 public events in every corner of the district and over 70 press interviews,” Boorstyn said. “Bridget has welcomed the opportunity to make it clear where she stands on the issues that matter most in the Indivisible forum in April, Latino forum in June, and Shiawassee County Democrats forum last week, and will participate in the League of Women Voters forum later this week.”

Boorstyn did not respond to a follow-up email asking whether the Brink campaign had raised any concerns with the terms of the debate.

In a statement, Maasdam spokesperson Emma Grundhauser similarly pointed to Maasdam’s record of public engagement, noting he would also be participating in the July 2 forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Livingston County and the Lansing Area League of Women Voters and hosted by the Howell Carnegie Library. 

“Matt has been proud to participate in five public forums with the other candidates across Michigan’s 7th District this year, answering voters’ questions and hearing directly from them about what’s on their minds – including just two weeks ago at a forum streamed live by WLNS,” Grundhauser said in a statement.

The Livingston County forum is virtual-only.

Neither Brink nor Maasdam’s campaign specified if they would attend Lawrence’s town hall.

Barrett held his first town hall as a U.S. representative virtually on March 11, 2025. However, Democrats and frustrated constituents have criticized the first-term representative for a lack of availability, pointing to his decision not to attend a town hall meeting organized by Indivisible Michigan 7, a branch of the national organization Indivisible focused on opposing President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

Barrett also chose not to attend another 2025 town hall organized by the AFL-CIO and the NAACP.

“Democrats continue to perpetuate the lie that Congressman Barrett is inaccessible because he refuses to participate in Democrat-organized political stunts,” Barrett’s campaign strategist, Jason Roe, said in a statement to the Michigan Advance. “He maintains an aggressive schedule in the district meeting with constituents and community leaders, touring schools and businesses, and has brought a half dozen cabinet officials to mid-Michigan to learn about the needs of the district. He has secured more than $146 million in federal funding for critical infrastructure and community priorities and has helped thousands of constituents since he took office eighteen months ago.”

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District – composed of Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, and Shiawassee counties, most of Eaton County and parts of Genesee and Oakland counties – is among the most hotly contested seats in the nation. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the district a “toss-up” where either party has a good chance of winning.