DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Democrat Will Lawrence has prevailed in the 7th Congressional District race over Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, marking Michigan's third GOP-held U.S. House seat to fall to Tuesday's blue wave.

Barrett's campaign said he called Lawrence at 2 a.m. Wednesday to offer his concession and congratulations, shortly before the Lansing Democrat declared victory in a social media post. The Associated Press and NBC News declared Lawrence the winner on Wednesday.

"I’m disappointed in the outcome, but I’m proud of my team and the campaign we ran," Barrett, R-Charlotte, said in a statement. "In the worst year for Republicans in decades, and after the most spending against me of any Republican member of Congress in the nation, we came closer than any competitive district in the country."

Lawrence led 57.6%-41.1% against the first-term congressman as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, with about 64% of the estimated vote counted. The Green Party's Shane Dedrick trailed with 1.3% after failed efforts by the Democrats to have him removed from the ballot.

For months, Democrats had been eyeing the purple district as a key House pickup opportunity. Barrett won the district in 2024 by 3.7 percentage points.

Barrett's concession follows Democrat Christina Hines' win in Michigan's 10th Congressional District in parts of Macomb and Oakland counties. She defeated Republican Mike Bouchard, son of the longtime Oakland County sheriff of the same name.

Lawrence: 'People ... are hungry for change'

On Tuesday night, Lawrence thanked supporters and the volunteers at his election night party at an event space in the Lansing Mall. He encouraged them to welcome more of their neighbors in their effort to build a stronger economy for the working class, address climate change and stop hyperscale data centers.

“We’re going to have to keep digging deep,” Lawrence said. “Tonight’s results show people everywhere, all around the country, are hungry for change. We’re desperate for change and we’re demanding a political system that delivers for working people.”

Barrett was elected to the 7th District House seat in 2024, besting Democrat Curtis Hertel after then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly left the seat to successfully run for Senate. Barrett previously served in the state House and state Senate before he was elected to Congress.

Lawrence is a Lansing community organizer who co-founded the climate action group called the Sunrise Movement.

The 7th District is a swing district that Democrats that includes all of Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties and parts of Genesee, Eaton and Oakland counties.

Lawrence took to the microphone at his watch party with an optimistic spoof of his campaign slogan “We Will” as he waited for results to continue coming in for the mid-Michigan U.S. District House race. As of 1:30 a.m. Nov. 4, the message was less "We Will" and more “We very may well have,” he joked.

Lawrence thanked the people who helped him launch and power his campaign, including his primary opponents Bridget Brink and Matt Maasdom, local community leaders, his fellow climate and tenants’ rights activists and others.

The race against Barrett, he said, shows his policy platform is popular in the district.

Republican opponents have campaigned against Lawrence by tying him to socialism and arguing his platform is extreme. Lawrence let his membership with Democratic Socialists of America lapse in July, but he has an extensive social media history calling to defund the police and criticizing moderate Democrats, including Slotkin.

Lawrence has since said he supports law enforcement and wants a more varied approach to crime that includes stronger mental health resources and community violence intervention.

An energetic atmosphere filled the Delta Township event center where Lawrence's supporters watched the results roll in.

A few of them even made space for a dance floor as artists like Abba and The Weeknd blared over speakers. Most attendees were turned toward election results on the cable news channel MS NOW projected on the wall above the bar, cheering as positive results rolled in for Democrats, including James Talarico, whose U.S. Senate race in Texas against Republican Ken Paxton was also one of the most watched in the country.

Among the atendees was Molly Dean, a Lansing 76-year-old who became a fervent Lawrence supporter after attending a fundraiser hosted by a friend early this year, where she said he was impressed with his honesty. Since then, she's knocked doors for his campaign, hosted fundraisers and dubbed herself and friends as "Boomers for Lawrence." Although a lifelong Democrat, she's never been so active in a campaign.

"I said 'OK, let's turn over this political process to the next generation,'" she said.

Dean said she believes Lawrence is accessible to the community, unlike her experience of Barrett.

Barrett served one term in Congress

Barrett’s supporters gathered for a more buttoned-up affair at a hotel in Delta Township, where they shared drinks and watched as NBC analysts broke down results from midterm races across the country.

Joseph Werner, an East Lansing resident and member of the Ingham County Republican Party’s executive committee, said he’s hopeful to see Barrett win a second term to fight for further tax cuts and reduced government spending.

He said Barrett is a thoughtful lawmaker and “stand-up guy.”

“I’ve had several discussions about issues with him,” Werner said. “He asks questions, he listens. He’s looking for opinions and information.”

Werner said he’s fearful of a Lawrence win because of his affiliation with socialism. Lawrence was until recently a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. That makes Lawrence “not someone we need in office,” Werner said.

Barrett took some comfort in the tight race he was running in early results against Lawrence. He said it was a good position to be in compared to many Republican candidates across the country

“It’s almost 11 o’clock at night and we’re still in the fight,” Barrett said. “They’ve called a lot of races across the country that are (in districts) a lot more Republican-leaning than mine, so I think that shows the strength and competitiveness of where we’re at.”

Barrett said he’d focus on less partisan issues, such as banning stock trading for members of Congress and enacting campaign finance reforms, should he win a second term, when his party will be in the minority in the House.

“I’m sincere in wanting to change the status quo,” Barrett said.

Gregory Richardson of Lansing said he planned to leave the congressional race blank. The 75-year-old veteran said he usually votes a Democratic ticket but had concerns about the ads he'd seen connecting Lawrence to socialism.

"It’s hard to tell what’s actually in somebody’s heart," Richardson said. "He might have good intentions, but good intentions don’t accommodate for bad outcomes.”

He said he also couldn't cast a vote for Barrett because of the congressman's affiliation with the Republican Party and, by extension, President Donald Trump.

"Anybody that’s backing Mr. Trump who’s running for office, I’m not going to vote for them," Richardson said.

Data centers were front-and-center in mid-Michigan congressional race

Barrett, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot and state lawmaker, has tried to distance himself from Trump by voting in favor of a war powers resolution to wind down the war in Iran, voicing opposition to federal intervention in data centers and being one of the first House Republicans to sign on to a resolution to force a vote to demand release of the Jeffrey Epstein sexual assault files.

An animating issue in the campaign has been the growing pushback toward data centers and Flock cameras, with a hyperscale data center project proposed for Vevay Township and Mason at the heart of the conflict.

Both candidates have put out detailed plans to address data center development and artificial intelligence. Lawrence has proposed a federal moratorium on data centers, while Barrett has introduced legislation barring federal intervention in local decision-making on data centers.

William Hester, 60, of Charlotte, cast his ballot in support of Republicans, in part based on his opposition to abortion. He said he’s familiar with Barrett’s name and didn’t hesitate to cast his vote in support of the first-term congressman.

“I know the name,” Hester said. “I’ve heard good things about him.”

Tom Barrett of Charlotte (no relation) said he was most animated to come to the polls to vote against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. But he was glad to vote in favor of the sitting congressman as well.

“He has a background in military, which is good for people to make a choice on what our military does,” the 39-year-old said. “And he’s a friendly face in the community.”

Lawrence beat two more establishment-backed opponents, former U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink and former U.S. Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, in the Democratic primary race in August. He rose above concerns over his electability by organizing a team of dedicated grassroots campaign volunteers.

For Carolyn Darnton, of Lansing, Lawrence's willingness to talk to people, be out in the community and hear from residents was a big factor in why she decided to support him. She also supported his position on data centers.

The 46-year-old said she's "super excited" to vote for both Lawrence and El-Sayed.

"I actually believe what they believe," Darnton said. "I’ve always had to vote for the best of two terrible candidates. And I feel like, this time, I actually want them to be in government, like they might support us.”

Audrey Sefton, a 19-year-old Michigan State University freshman, was sad to have missed Lawrence when he stopped by campus on Election Day. She grew up in the district and is an enthusiastic supporter of Lawrence.

"His stances match my beliefs," she said. "All of his policies I very much like compared to Tom Barrett. I don't want to vote for Trump's agenda."

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