William Lawrence (D) defeated incumbent Tom Barrett (R) and Shane Dedrick (G) in the general election for Michigan's 7th Congressional District on November 3, 2026. Click here for detailed results.

In the 2024 general election, Barrett defeated Curtis Hertel (D) 50.3% to 46.6%. In the presidential election that year, President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) in the district 49.9% to 48.6%. As of September 2026, major race forecasters rated the election as Lean Democratic or Toss-up.

According to the New York Times' Catie Edmondson, the race was "not only one of the most competitive in the country but also a test of the standard playbook for candidates running in battleground districts." Barrett ran on his record in office and military experience, while Lawrence ran on his experience as an activist and organizer.

Lawrence's experience included working as a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, the Michigan Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition, and the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center. In a campaign ad, Lawrence said he supported "[u]niversal healthcare that covers us regardless of our job. The right to form a union, so we and our coworkers can have each other's backs. Truly affordable housing where we can build a lasting home with our families. And child and senior care so we can support our families in life's most vulnerable and precious moments." U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Michigan AFL-CIO, and United Auto Workers endorsed Lawrence.

Before he was elected to Congress, Barrett served in the U.S. Army during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and as a helicopter pilot in the Michigan Army National Guard. He also served in the Michigan House and Michigan Senate. In a campaign advertisement, he said, "I'll always put Michigan ahead of political party to make raising a family a little more affordable, stopping Wall Street from buying our family homes, and lowering your taxes." President Donald Trump (R), Club for Growth PAC, and Americans for Prosperity Action endorsed Barrett.

As of October 14, 2026, Barrett had raised $8.3 million and spent $7.2 million, and Lawrence had raised $4.2 million and spent $3.5 million.

Tom Barrett (R) and William Lawrence (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans had a 219-214 majority with two vacancies in the U.S. House. To read more about the U.S. House elections that took place in 2026, click here.