Will Lawrence, an environmental organiser and co-founder of the climate justice group Sunrise Movement, has secured the backing of US Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s swing seventh congressional district. The district, which includes the state capital Lansing, has voted for Donald Trump in the last three presidential elections and is currently represented by Republican Tom Barrett, making it a key target for Democrats in November’s midterm elections.
Lawrence, who helped lead the campaign for a Green New Deal, is running on a platform that includes a nationwide moratorium on AI datacentres, which he argues threaten jobs, consume excessive water and push up utility bills. He has stood alongside residents opposing the construction of three hyperscaler-sized datacentres proposed in the district, with a fourth recently rejected by Lansing’s city council. “It’s a form of climate denial,” Lawrence said, noting that most proposed datacentres would rely on natural gas.
Sanders praised Lawrence as an “accomplished organiser” who would “demand real accountability for big tech and AI companies”. The independent Vermont senator’s endorsement follows that of progressive Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Polls have shown Lawrence as the frontrunner in the three-way Democratic primary against Bridget Brink, former US ambassador to Slovakia, and Matt Maasdam, a former Obama administration official.
Lawrence’s opponents do not support a federal moratorium on datacentres. Brink’s campaign said local communities should hold decision-making power, while ensuring datacentres do not raise utility rates or strain the grid and use clean energy. The incumbent, Tom Barrett, opposes federal intervention, arguing local officials are best equipped to decide.
The race in Michigan’s seventh district is being closely watched as Democrats seek to flip the seat, with the Cook Political Report rating it a “toss-up”. Lawrence’s campaign aims to mobilise a grassroots coalition against what he calls “Big Money interests” in the tech industry.
