U.S. House race · November 3, 2026
U.S. Representative, Michigan District 7
Represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which writes federal laws, approves the federal budget and taxes, and oversees the executive branch.
2-year term. The district is centered on the Lansing–East Lansing area and includes all of Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties, most of Eaton County, and parts of Oakland and Genesee counties. Republican Rep. Tom Barrett, first elected in 2024, was unopposed in the Aug. 4, 2026 primary. William Lawrence won the Democratic primary with about 44% of the vote over former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam. The state candidate listing shows Working Class Party nominee Felix Thibodeau as disqualified; three candidates are on the general election ballot.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Tom Barrett
U.S. Representative, Michigan District 7Barrett, a Republican and Army veteran, is seeking a second term after flipping the mid-Michigan seat in 2024; he previously served eight years in the Michigan Legislature. He is campaigning on veterans' issues, health insurance reform, predictable trade policy and congressional oversight of the Iran war.
Dedrick is the Green Party nominee for Michigan's 7th District, listed on the state's official general election candidate listing. No biography or campaign platform was found in the sources reviewed.
William Lawrence
Housing organizer; co-founder of the Sunrise MovementLawrence, a Democrat from Lansing, co-founded the climate group Sunrise Movement and later founded the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center. He is campaigning on lowering living costs, guaranteed health care, a pause on new data centers and ending U.S. involvement in the Iran war.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Tom Barrett Republican | Shane Dedrick Green | William Lawrence Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy & Environment | Supports local control over data center siting; says he introduced legislation to bar federal agencies from overriding local decisions. | No public position found yet | Supports a 12-month federal moratorium on new data centers, restoring wetlands and rivers, and holding polluters accountable. |
| Foreign Policy | Says he voted against continuing the Iran war without congressional authorization while supporting efforts to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. | No public position found yet | Calls for ending the war with Iran and stopping arms sales to Israel and other countries he says violate human rights. |
| Health Care | Says he introduced the Care Over Profits Act on insurers' claims payments and has rejected health insurance PAC contributions; opposes a single-payer system. | No public position found yet | Supports a single-payer health system that covers people throughout their lives. |
| Immigration | Says immigration policy should be fair, firm and humane, and credits border security measures with reducing fentanyl deaths. | No public position found yet | Supports a secure border and an orderly immigration court system; says ICE should be held accountable for unconstitutional conduct. |
| Economy & Jobs | Supports tariff policies he says bring manufacturing investment back to the U.S.; says he has called for predictability in trade. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Social Security & Medicare | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Says he would protect Social Security by raising taxes on the wealthy. |