Democrat William Lawrence, the co-founder of the progressive Sunrise Movement, has won his party’s primary in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects — a big victory for the insurgent left that also sets up a dramatic general election contrast against Republicans in a crucial battleground seat.
Voters in five states participated in primaries Tuesday, including several with major battleground districts up for grabs in November. And few are more hotly contested than this Michigan district, where Lawrence bested two prominent Democratic rivals with national security backgrounds after differentiating himself as the more liberal candidate and as an aggressive critic of data centers.
Meanwhile, the battle between his two Democratic opponents, former Ambassador Bridget Brink and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, became increasingly bitter as the race drew to a close, and the two candidates ultimately appear to have split the more moderate wing of the party.
Lawrence will now take on GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in one of the most tightly divided swing seats in the nation. President Donald Trump carried the district by just 1 point in 2024, and super PACs and other outside groups have reserved more ad spending there than in all but one other House race in the country.
Lawrence won support from an array of prominent progressives and outside groups, and a mysterious super PAC spent more than $1 million in the race’s final weeks to boost him and tear Maasdam down. That spending raised concerns among some Democrats that Republicans might be boosting Lawrence because they think he’ll be easier to beat in the general election.
Michigan voters are also cementing other key battleground House races on Tuesday, albeit with less fanfare. They’ll pick the Democrat to run against Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, the Republican to run against Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, and candidates in the open 10th Congressional District (where Trump-backed Republican Mike Bouchard was projected as the winner of the GOP primary).
In Virginia, the matchups are set in four districts expected to fit into the battleground puzzle in different ways this fall.
In the Norfolk area, Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans and former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria head to a rematch of the 2022 2nd District election that Kiggans won. In the Richmond-area 1st District, Republican Rep. Rob Wittman will face off against Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor in a district that could be competitive this fall — one that Trump won by 5 points in 2024.
Further out on the battlefield, Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman will face off against Republican Doug Ollivant, a retired lieutenant colonel, in the Fredericksburg-area 7th District, a race where Vindman will start with a significant resource advantage. And Republican Rep. John McGuire will run against former Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello in a district Trump won by 12 points in 2024.
Missouri is home to one of Republicans’ best opportunities to gain a seat this fall, after the GOP-controlled state Legislature redrew the congressional map to put Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver into a seat Trump won by 18 points in 2024.
Republican Rick Brattin, a state senator backed by Gov. Kehoe and the Club for Growth, is projected to win the nomination there, with Trump weighing in for him in the race’s final days.
In Washington state, Republicans are targeting Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in a district Trump won by 3 points in 2024. She will face Republican state Senate Leader John Braun, who has Trump’s endorsement, this fall.
Meanwhile, two Democratic incumbents faced serious primary challenges on Tuesday. One, Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell, is projected to win his primary, a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, whom he defeated in 2024. The other, Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar, is narrowly leading state Rep. Donavan McKinney in a race that is not yet called.
Voters in a handful of safe seats are also picking nominees who are all but certain to win this fall.
In Michigan’s Oakland County, state Senate Democratic leader Jeremy Moss cruised to victory in Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens’ district, with Stevens running for Senate.
And in Missouri, Salem Radio Network host Chris Stigall won the Republican primary in the seat where GOP Rep. Sam Graves is retiring.
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