EAST LANSING — Old, inflammatory social media posts, President Donald Trump's war in Iran and increasing opposition to data centers and artificial intelligence dominated a one-hour debate Oct. 6 between Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett and progressive Democrat Will Lawrence in Michigan's hotly contested 7th Congressional District race.

The contest between Barrett, a first-term Republican from rural Eaton County, and Lawrence, a community activist from Lansing, is one attracting attention across the nation as the 7th District is eyed as a key swing seat that, if flipped, could help Democrats win a majority in the U.S. House. Barrett won the seat in 2024 by 3.7 percentage points.

Lawrence's presence in the race is considered a test of the general election mettle of the left wing of the party. Lawrence, 36, is a former environmental and tenant rights organizer who fought for the Green New Deal and has a trail of since-deleted social media posts calling to defund the police, denouncing the nuclear family and criticizing moderate Democrats. He allowed his Democratic Socialists of America credentials to lapse in July.

Green Party candidate Shane Dedrick is also running for the seat, despite Democrats' attempts to push him off the ballot.

Barrett, who served in the state House and Senate before winning his seat in Congress, used the debate to dredge up Lawrence's social media history, highlighting his opponent's past calls to defund the police, encouraging Democratic former Sen. Joe Manchin to "hurry up and die" when he opposed clean energy legislation and calling for open migration.

During the debate, Lawrence said he supported a comprehensive approach to policing that includes mental health resources and community engagement, and he indicated his comments on open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants were "hypothetical statements."

"You're running for Congress," Barrett fired back. "It's not a hypothetical statement."

Lawrence repeatedly tied Barrett to Trump, arguing the Republican congressman had not done enough in his first term to push back on the president's invasion of Iran and "erratic" tariff policies.

"He wakes up in the morning, he throws a dart at the dartboard and he sets the tariff rate based on wherever the dart landed," Lawrence said of Trump.

When asked after the debate about his since-deleted comments on social media, Lawrence said he was "thinking out loud" and had changed his mind on several issues since then.

Barrett argued there is a place for trade negotiations and tariff policies that bring production back to the United States, but said he's also advocated for "calm and stability so that we can have predictability" for the U.S. and its trade partners

"If Tom has been calling for calm and stability then he hasn't been very effective at it, because what we see from the president is chaos and instability," Lawrence said.

The debate, moderated by WKAR-TV and WILX-TV, was livestreamed from WKAR's East Lansing studio on the campus of Michigan State University. The debate will be aired at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 on mid-Michigan TV and radio stations.

The race is one of seven congressional contests across the nation that have crossed the $30 million mark for advertising, Punchbowl News reported Oct. 6. The 7th District race has drawn $35.4 million in advertising, according to tracking data.

Barrett, who faces the prospect of national headwinds against Republicans over Trump's low approval rating, has been emphasizing areas where he differs from the president, namely on the Iran war and data center decision-making.

The debate Oct. 6 was no exception, with Barrett noting he was one of the first Republicans to vote against the continuation of the war in Iran. While speaking with reporters after the debate, Barrett said there was a "tremendous amount of pressure" before that vote, but he said he realized his decision would help set a precedent for conflicts initiated by future presidents.

"This was not a vote of convenience for me," Barrett said during the debate. "This was one of conviction. I spent 22 years in the Army. I saw friends that came home struggling after the effects of war. I’m the only one on this stage who’s actually been to war to see the devastating effects that causes."

Lawrence, who survived a contentious Democratic primary against two establishment candidates, based in part on his data center messaging, attacked Barrett for leaving data center decision-making to local communities. Lawrence has argued local communities have largely not had the means to stand up to companies seeking to locate a data center within their borders.

"I’ve been a leader, nationally recognized, in fighting against data centers and for safe AI rather than this reckless, whatever they’ve got going on in Silicon Valley," Lawrence said.

Barrett argued the so-called Green New Deal, which Lawrence lobbied for through the environmental group Sunrise Movement, was partly to blame for the weakening of local control in Michigan over siting decisions for large-scale solar and wind farms and data centers.

"Local residents have to have the ultimate decision about whether or not to have a data center in their community," Barrett said.

On Flock cameras and similar license plate reading technology, Barrett said the nation needs to strike a balance between "robust protections" for constitutional rights and ensuring police can keep people safe.

"While my opponent stands by and supports repeatedly defunding and abolishing the police, in his own words," Barrett said, "I have taken the opposite approach, funding our law enforcement to help keep our communities safe. We have to do that in a way that protects constitutional rights."

Lawrence said he supported public safety but said Flock cameras are the latest instance of an "un-American," "mass surveillance dragnet" that's been created over the last 25 years.

"I'm glad that people are fighting back and drawing a line," Lawrence said. "They're saying 'don't tread on us and don't spy on us either.' This has to be put to a stop. It's unconstitutional."

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