Barrett: Lawrence Presents Sharpest Contrast Of His Political Career
(Source: MIRS.news, Published 09/29/2026) U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) told MIRS today that he has never faced an opponent as starkly opposed to his vision as his current campaign adversary, and that voters in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District are facing a choice unlike any in recent memory.
After being asked about his current campaign in comparison to previous runs for office, Barrett quickly drew a sharp line between his record and that of his opponent, Democratic nominee William Lawrence. Pointing to Lawrence’s background as a progressive activist and co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, Barrett characterized his challenger’s platform as far outside anything mainstream for mid-Michigan voters.
"Despite my differences between prior opponents and elections, I've never faced a contrast quite as stark as the one we face this year," Barrett told reporters.
Barrett faced Curtis Hertel Jr. in the 7th District in 2024; then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in the 7th District in 2022; then Rep. Brett Roberts (primary) and Democrat Kelly Rossman-McKinney for the state Senate in 2018; and Theresa Abed in 2016 and 2014.
"My record is clear. My record is well established," Barrett said. "My opponent has a record that is extreme . . . He's been an activist trying to shut off opportunities for families. His rhetoric is very, very concerning. He says he wants to defund and abolish the police, abolish our southern border, defund prisons in our country, as well as a host of other things that stand in stark contrast to my record."
To that point, Lawrence said during an interview with News Nation that he sees a distinction between himself and Barrett, at least when it comes to their approach to AI accountability.
“[Tom Barrett] wants to leave it to us to fight back against these trillion-dollar corporations . . . [Barrett] actually voted to prohibit any local regulation of AI or data centers for the next 10 years," Lawrence said. "This is not an economic development strategy for many. There may be a few that benefit, especially Tom Barrett's corporate donors in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. But people are not buying the suggestion that this is the pathway to a prosperous economy.”
Beyond the campaign criticism, Barrett reflected on how the political landscape and the issues facing Congress have evolved in ways he never anticipated when he ran for the seat just two years ago.
While addressing national security and foreign policy as surprising drivers of his term, Barrett pointed to his bipartisan vote as one of only four House Republicans to favor requiring explicit congressional authorization before the president could pursue military actions in the Middle East.
"I didn't expect that to be an issue when I ran for office two years ago and got elected to this position," said Barrett, also pointing to newly emerging local concerns like data center expansion and artificial intelligence regulations. "The issue set certainly changes from cycle to cycle . . . I think the character of a candidate and the mindset that they are elected from their district really matters, because we can think about what the issues might be, but then they change along the way."
Barrett talked to MIRS while visiting a local family farm in Elsie, where he accepted the reelection endorsement of the Michigan Corn PAC of the Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA).
Alongside harvesting equipment, fifth-generation farmer and Michigan PAC Chair Scott Lonier announced Barrett as "the man for the job" to represent the state's roughly 2,000 corn farmers who generate 350 million bushels annually across 2 million acres.
Central to Barrett's defense of his record was his votes in support of the federal Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, framing the House passage as a major victory for Michigan agriculture that now sits stalled in the U.S. Senate.
"Passing the Farm Bill in the House of Representatives was critical—we are five years or more overdue at this point," Barrett said. "We were able to get that done, and now we need to get that done through the U.S. Senate and have the conference report finished before the conclusion of this term. That's something that I'm very, very committed to getting done on behalf of all of our farmers across this district."
"Farm policy is made in Lansing and Washington, and the people who make that policy decide whether a family farm is able to stay in business or not," Lonier said, "Congressman Barrett has earned this endorsement by delivering on issues that matter most to Michigan corn farmers."
Lawrence Trumpets More Endorsements
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare PAC, a political organization advocating for older adults, today endorsed Lawrence for Congress. The group issued a release stating that electing him would send a "loud message" to Washington that seniors have had enough of the attacks on the benefits that they have earned.
More groups that endorsed Lawrence today in MI-7 include: the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 876, Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition, and Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy.
The news comes a day after the Detroit Free Press, Michigan’s largest newspaper, endorsed Lawrence on MI-7, writing, “Will Lawrence is a true believer in his causes who is riding citizen anger about a range of policies and practices harmful to ordinary Americans.”
