Progressive William Lawrence defeats GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in swing Michigan district

Progressive activist William Lawrence has defeated Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., in one of the most competitive House races on the map, NBC News projects.

The result marks a rare battleground race victory for the Democratic Party’s left flank, which has so far built its power in deep blue districts and cities.

The contest for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District was shaped by voter malaise with the economy under President Donald Trump and backlash to data centers. A co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, Lawrence centered his candidacy on opposition to local data center development and controversial Flock cameras while also pushing for tight restrictions on AI development.

He advanced to the general election after emerging from a divisive primary with less than 50% of the vote.

Speaking with NBC News in September, Lawrence said the growing opposition to data center development was happening “at this moment in our history [where] the extreme concentration of power may be the single greatest threat that we face, and the place where it is concentrated is in these tech companies and their allies at the very heights of government.”

Lawrence, who came under fire for deleted social media posts that included writing “F— isolation and the…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business