By Matthew Hutchison | news@whmi.com

Democratic congressional candidate William Lawrence sharply criticized the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and outlined an anti-war platform during an appearance on WHMI’s “Meet the People” podcast, arguing that Congress must shift national priorities toward domestic economic issues.

Lawrence, a 35-year-old East Lansing native and community organizer, is one of several Democrats running in the August primary for Michigan’s closely watched 7th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett.

In 2024, Barrett won the district by a narrow margin after Democrat Elissa Slotkin vacated the district to run for the U.S. Senate. In addition to Livingston County, the district encompasses Ingham, Clinton and Shiawassee counties as well as portions of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland counties.

During the wide-ranging interview, Lawrence said he was the first Democratic candidate in the race to speak out against the operation in Iran.

“This is a war that the American people did not ask for,” he said. “People are crying out for good jobs, good housing and good healthcare that we can count on. Nobody wanted another chapter in the ‘forever war’.”

While acknowledging Iran has long been an adversary of the United States, Lawrence questioned whether removing the country’s leadership would ultimately make the world safer.
“The jury is out, frankly, to determine whether the world will be safer or less safe following the killing of the ayatollah and the rest of the regime,” he said. “Are we going to end up in a regional war that goes on through the rest of this year? Are we going to end up with an utterly failed state in Iran and potentially the rise of a new ISIS-like formation?”

Lawrence also stopped short of labeling Iran’s government as fundamentally evil when asked whether the regime meets that threshold.

“I would not say it (Iran) is wholly evil,” he said. “I do not believe any regime in the world is wholly good or wholly evil,” adding that dividing the world into moral absolutes can lead governments to justify extreme violence in the name of stopping an enemy.

By contrast, Barrett issued a statement supporting the strikes, saying the Iranian regime was "directly responsible for the murder of thousands of American civilians and soldiers, including friends of mine, during our two-decade war on terror."

Background and Organizing

Lawrence grew up in East Lansing and said his political worldview began forming during the early 2000s.
“We invaded Iraq when I was 12 years old,” he said. “It’s been one foreign military operation after another since then at the cost of trillions of dollars.”

His father was a constitutional law professor at Michigan State University, and Lawrence said his early exposure to debates over the Iraq War and climate change shaped his interest in politics.

Lawrence helped organize the Sunrise Movement's early campus network between 2017 and 2020, growing what began as a student-led effort into a coordinated climate advocacy organization spanning more than 100 college campuses.
He also founded the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center and became involved in housing advocacy through the Michigan Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition.

Although he is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Lawrence downplayed the "democratic socialist" label.

“If democratic socialism is believing that everybody deserves a good job and a good home and we should have healthcare that covers us for life, then, yeah, you can call me a democratic socialist or whatever you want,” he said.

Policy Platform

Lawrence said conversations with voters across the district often center on the cost of living, particularly housing and healthcare.

“The cost of housing and the cost of healthcare are the top issues people bring up,” he said, adding that small business owners in communities such as Howell frequently raise concerns about rising health insurance premiums.

On housing, Lawrence supports repealing Michigan’s ban on rent control and creating what he described as “social housing,” or publicly developed housing options intended to provide more stable rental markets.

“I believe we should have something like a public option on housing,” he said. “If the government can invest to build housing at scale, it will provide more options for people who may not be in the position to be homeowners but they still deserve a high-quality rental unit they can count on.”
Lawrence also supports a tenant bill of rights intended to protect renters from eviction or steep rent increases, particularly when large investment firms purchase rental properties or mobile home parks.

On healthcare, Lawrence backs a single-payer system often described as Medicare for All.

“My view is that we all deserve to be covered for life,” he said. “We could have more economic dynamism, support for small businesses, support for families and a lot less anxiety if we implement a single-payer plan, which covers us all for life.”

He also supports raising the cap on taxable income used to fund Social Security, arguing the change would extend the program’s long-term solvency.

“It would ensure that Social Security is solvent for generations to come and my generation and my children and their children can all enjoy the Social Security that our parents currently enjoy,” he said.

On immigration enforcement, Lawrence said local law enforcement agencies should not cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
He expressed worry about a new detention processing center in Romulus and planned ICE administrative offices in Southfield.

“It would seem that they’re planning to make a greater offensive into the state of Michigan and people I know are living in fear of what that will mean, especially if you happen to be the wrong color whether you’re an American citizen or not,” he said. “Clearly their M.O. is to profile people based on the color of their skin or the language that they speak, and snatch them first and ask questions later. That is simply unconstitutional and it’s not something that can be accepted.”

He added: “The mission of local law enforcement is to protect and serve the people of that municipality and clearly ICE is making our communities less safe.”

Economic Development and Data Centers

Lawrence also criticized the growing push to attract large data center developments, which have become a prominent economic development strategy across Michigan and other states.

“It’s hollow economic development,” he said. “The number of long-term jobs created are relatively few, and the impacts to our air and water are not fully understood.”
Instead, he argued the state should focus on policies that support small businesses and strengthen local communities.
“We need strong towns with strong businesses and a diverse array of jobs for people to engage in,” Lawrence said. “The data center model is just to say let’s try to package as many tax breaks and giveaways to the largest companies in the world so they can come and build a big empty box. I don’t know about you, but a big empty box is not my vision of a thriving community.”

Campaign Outlook

While Lawrence trails his primary rivals in fundraising, he has worked to build visibility through direct community action.

He organized a 36-hour vigil outside Barrett's Lansing district office last fall to protest a lapse in federal food assistance benefits. His campaign has also organized food drives in partnership with the Greater Lansing Food Bank, collecting more than 5,000 meals for families in the district. More recently, he held a medical debt relief fundraiser that canceled $100,000 in outstanding medical debt for local residents.

Lawrence’s campaign recently gained momentum with high-profile endorsements from the Working Families Party and National Nurses United.

Lawrence is competing in a crowded Democratic primary scheduled for Aug. 4. Other candidates include former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam.

Lawrence has rejected corporate PAC donations and funding from pro-Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC.
His campaign, he said, is focused on direct voter engagement and grassroots organizing.

“I’m somebody who isn’t afraid to tell the truth and challenge people in elected office when it’s needed but I’m also capable of and skilled at building bridges and coalitions among people of different political backgrounds, different interests and between those who are protesting on the outside and the people who are making decisions in the halls of power,” he said.

The full interview with Lawrence is available on WHMI’s “Meet the People” podcast linked below.