Lawrence delivers campaign’s closing message as he preps for final election push

With one week left until Election Day, Democratic nominee William Lawrence gathered supporters outside of the building that previously held Rep. Tom Barrett’s (R-Charlotte) office as he announced his final push to reach voters within Michigan’s highly competitive 7th Congressional District.

“This campaign has always been about people, whereas Tom Barrett’s term in office has always been about doing the bidding of Donald Trump and the wealthiest few in this country,” Lawrence said, as he announced his plan to visit 24 towns across the district to talk with voters and share his campaign’s message in the final stretch of the race. 

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District encompasses Clinton, Shiawassee, Ingham, and Livingston counties and parts of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland counties, and has built a reputation as one of the most competitive U.S. House districts in the nation. The race is also the most expensive in the nation for advertising, with WKAR reporting $61 million in spending as of Oct. 21.

Reflecting on his campaign, Lawrence pointed to his efforts to meet with voters and help community members, including a 36-hour sit-in and food drive outside Barrett’s office, collecting donations for the Greater Lansing Food Bank and raising funds to eliminate $130,000 in local medical debt. 

“That set the tone from the very beginning on both sides,” Lawrence said. “He’s doing the bidding of Trump in D.C., I’m here strengthening our community and helping the helpers all across Mid Michigan.” 

Over the past two years, Lawrence said life has become harder for people in his community, while it’s become easier for the wealthy. 

“Already, 130,000 fewer Michiganders are insured than two years ago because of the cuts to the Affordable Care Act, and in January, hundreds of thousands more are at risk of losing their Medicaid,” Lawrence said in reference to work requirements for Medicaid recipients set to take effect in January.

“Meanwhile, over 160,000 people have lost their food assistance, and the cost of diesel and gas, of course, are squeezing us because of this outrageous war in Iran,” Lawrence said. “The rent, meanwhile, is still too damn high, as it has been. So I want to ask: Is your American dream nearer or farther away now than it was two years ago?”

Several community members also took to the podium to share their own concerns around data center development, the war in Iran and how Republican policies could harm healthcare workers and further increase the costs of care.

Kelly Kussmaul, who lives down the road from a proposed hyperscale data center in Mason, pointed to comments Trump made in an interview with Time Magazine stating “I would like to have data centers. It doesn’t mean I want them right next to my house, but certainly I like them in my county.”

“The president might not want a data center next to his house, but he wants one next to mine, and someday maybe yours,” Kussmaul said. “That’s why we need representatives like Will Lawrence. Will understands that Michigan’s small towns – Mason, Leslie, Eaton Rapids, St. John’s, Charlotte, Howell, Williamston – are not for sale to giant corporations run by billionaires you’ll never meet.”

Jeff Breslin, president of the Professional Employee Council of Sparrow Hospital-Michigan Nurses Association, noted that one in four Michigan residents receives healthcare through Medicaid, while Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduces Medicaid spending by nearly $1trillion over the course of a decade.

“Michigan hospitals stand to lose billions,” Breslin said. “When hospitals lose money, they don’t cut from the executive level. They close units, then they cut staff, and in worst cases, they close hospitals. The staff are being asked to do more with less. This is not acceptable. These cuts will lead to worse patient outcomes.”

While Lawrence gathered supporters in Lansing, Barrett took the stage in Howell ahead of Vice President JD Vance, urging voters to come out in support of Republican candidates at the national and state level. 

Speaking with Michigan Advance, Barrett campaign strategist Jason Roe said the representative shares the frustrations residents have with Trump, noting Barrett’s opposition to the Iran War and legislation he has introduced to protect communities from AI and Data centers.

While Lawrence has proposed a yearlong moratorium on data center development to establish regulations, Barrett has introduced legislation to ban government officials from signing nondisclosure agreements concerning data centers as well as a bill to bar federal agencies from overriding local zoning and permitting for data centers, arguing that the decisions around whether to host a data center should be left up to the communities.

Roe also responded to Lawrence’s criticisms of Barrett’s constituent services, arguing that his record speaks for itself.

“In addition to the more than 1,000 constituent case issues resolved, Tom has personally met with more than 600 different people and organizations in the district in his two years,” Roe said. “He was able to secure $146 million in funding for the district, including Michigan State, the regional airport, public safety and infrastructure.”

Michigan Advance Senior Reporter Ben Solis contributed to this report.