Who Is Will Lawrence? Sunrise Movement Co-Founder

Will Lawrence, who is also referred to as William Lawrence, is an organizer and activist based in Lansing, Michigan, who was elected to Congress after defeating Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District (Democracy Now!, USA Today, Democracy Now!).

At Ban the Bots, we track the people and organizations fighting AI: the activists, union leaders, lawmakers, plaintiffs, researchers and founders pushing back on how AI is built and used.

Lawrence is a co-founder of the youth-led climate organization Sunrise Movement and advocates for a federal moratorium on new data center development alongside a pause on advanced AI development (Democracy Now!).

Where Will Lawrence Is Now

Will Lawrence is a progressive candidate from Michigan who flipped Michigan's 7th Congressional District, a swing district that includes Lansing (Democracy Now!).

• Current role: Congressman-elect for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, scheduled to be officially sworn into office at the start of 2027 (WKAR)
• Organization: Sunrise Movement (co-founder) (Democracy Now!)
• Known for: Calling for a pause on advanced AI development and a federal moratorium on new data center development (Democracy Now!)
• Recent news: Defeated Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District (Democracy Now!)

Organizing and Activism

Lawrence is an organizer and activist based in Lansing (USA Today). He co-founded the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate organization (Democracy Now!).

In addition to his work with the climate movement, Lawrence has participated in founding or leading movements focused on combating homelessness (USA Today).

2026 Congressional Election

Lawrence ran for Michigan's 7th Congressional District on a grassroots mobilization campaign that refused corporate PAC money and focused on securing the youth vote (Democracy Now!, The State News). His campaign released an advertisement stating that Republican incumbent Tom Barrett voted for Donald Trump's priorities 99% of the time (HuffPost).

The race drew significant spending: Democrats spent $35 million supporting Lawrence, while Republicans spent $27 million in an effort to defeat him (HuffPost). Lawrence spoke with Barrett during a phone call after an election night event on November 4, 2026 (WKAR). Lawrence was elected to Congress after defeating Barrett, flipping the seat (Democracy Now!).

Stance on AI, Data Centers, and Surveillance

Lawrence advocates for a pause on advanced AI development and a federal moratorium on new data center construction (Democracy Now!). On September 14, 2026, he attended a town hall on data centers held in Mason, Michigan (HuffPost).

Lawrence has asserted that stopping AI data centers serves as a unifying issue across political affiliations (Herald/Review Media). He also campaigned against Flock surveillance cameras (Democracy Now!).

Policy Positions and House Leadership

Lawrence supports 'Medicare for All' and advocates for a single, government-run health insurance plan for all Americans, calling for a floor vote to guarantee healthcare to everyone in his district (HuffPost, USA Today, Democracy Now!).

He supports a vote to ban super PACs and eliminate big money from politics, and stated he would back Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker while demanding that Democratic leadership listen to progressive concerns (Democracy Now!). On foreign policy and civil rights, Lawrence called for a floor vote to block weapons shipments to Israel, supports halting arms sales to Israel and other nations viewed as human rights violators, and supports cracking down on Immigration and Customs Enforcement roundup operations (Democracy Now!, USA Today).

Sources

• statenews.com
• warriorswire.usatoday.com
• democracynow.org
• democracynow.org
• huffpost.com
• myheraldreview.com
• wkar.org

More people pushing back on AI are mapped in our guide to who is fighting AI, and the unions, companies and governments drawing the line are tracked on Fighting Back.