Meet the Michigan climate candidate on Trump’s radar

William Lawrence, a former Sunrise Movement co-founder, won an upper-Midwest primary upset last month and now faces incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th District, a seat that swung from Biden to Trump and back to competitive. Old deleted posts in which Lawrence praised communal living and called the nuclear family home 'isolating' and 'violent' resurfaced via CNN, prompting Trump to call him a 'self-described Marxist' at a Republican convention speech in Dallas.

Lawrence, now married for four years, says he stands by some past statements while acknowledging others reflected frustration or since-changed views, framing it as normal for someone who spent years 'thinking out loud on the internet.' Barrett, an Army veteran citing his own family life in the district, argues Lawrence can't disown his activist record now that he's running for office. Political analysts call the race a genuine toss-up despite Lawrence's baggage, in a district both parties view as a bellwether heading into 2028.

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