Lawrence says Democrats must deliver bold change after election victories

After declaring victory in a hard-fought battle for Michigan’s most competitive swing district, U.S. Rep.-elect William Lawrence reconvened with his supporters and members of the media to celebrate his victory and reaffirm his commitment to promises he made along the campaign trail.

Standing outside his campaign office in Lansing, Lawrence offered his thanks to family members, staff, campaign supporters and U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) who currently represents the district.

“I was thankful to get a phone call from him last night and have a conversation with him where he congratulated and conceded the race, and I expressed my readiness to work with him on the transition and I thanked him directly for his service,” Lawrence said.

The Associated Press called the race for Lawrence at 2:05 p.m. on Wednesday, with unofficial results showing Lawrence with 51% of the vote and Barrett with 47.7%.

The soon-to-be freshman representative reiterated his belief that “Washington’s priorities are all upside down,” and emphasized that there is much to be done over the next decade to deliver economic security, restore law and order, address worsening climate change and bring peace to the global stage.

“We’re not going to get it all done over the next few years, but I’m excited to get to work with some very specific priorities,” Lawrence said, pointing to constituent services, ending foreign wars and accountability for big tech as his main concerns.

Shortly after speaking with reporters, Lawrence joined members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Political Action Committee on a press call where they laid out their goals for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s administration. 

Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the caucus chair, said Tuesday’s election delivered big wins for progressives, with the caucus set to grow its ranks by 25 members. He noted that even candidates who did not campaign as progressives campaigned on issues that progressives have championed for decades, including opposition to big money in politics, ending foreign wars, standing up to political corruption and delivering healthcare reforms.

However, Casar emphasized that Democrats cannot remain idle in the next two years.

“Last night was not a sign that all of Democrats’ problems are solved,” Casar said. “The election is not an endorsement of returning to the status quo or tinkering around the edges. This is a message that people in this country are mad as hell, and are giving Democrats a shot to show them we can do something about it. And so it’s our turn to take them up on that opportunity.”

Maxwell Frost, the co-chair of the caucus’s political action committee underscored Casar’s point, noting that “especially over the last decade, voters will give you power and take it away just as quickly as they gave it to you.”

Heading into the 120th Congress, Casar emphasized that the Congressional Progressive Caucus and its more than 100 members would be a crucial governing partner in Congress, noting that they hold a productive relationship with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who will likely be elected the next Speaker of the House.

“Leader Jeffries has said this election is a mandate for bold change, and the progressive caucus is ready to be the energy behind delivering these results,” Casar said.

In addition to delivering economic security and anticorruption measures, Lawrence said House Democrats will also need to set its foreign policy straight.

“People in my district are tired of these endless wars,” Lawrence said. “We’ve seen one war after another. We’re throwing good money after bad – trillions each year – and we are not any safer or more secure or more prosperous than when these forever wars began. People across the political spectrum are ready for a change.”

Casar also stressed that Democrats’ newly won majority in Congress is not for one day, or 100 days but 100 weeks.

“Every single week, we should now be sending a bill to Donald Trump’s desk that is overwhelmingly popular with the American people, that cracks down on corporate greed, that cracks down on price gouging, that cracks down on big money in politics,” Casar said. “We won such a big victory last night that we’re not going to settle for one progressive bill on the first day.”