If a Democratic wave some indications predict actually hits this November, it’s likely to inundate mid-Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
If that happens, it may be, but isn’t necessarily, a reflection on first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte. But no other U.S. House district in the state is as much a partisan tossup as the 7th. So if a wave brought on by high gas prices, a Middle East war and President Donald Trump’s unpopularity comes, there’s a decent chance that whoever wins the Aug. 4 Democratic primary in the district could be sitting in Congress come Jan. 3, 2027.
Who will that be? That’s where things get interesting.
Bridget Brink is a 56-year-old career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who quit that job in opposition to Trump’s policies regarding Russian aggression and moved to Lansing to run for this seat. Matt Maasdam is a 51-year-old former Navy SEAL, University of Michigan grad, businessman, Iraq War and Afghanistan veteran and military aide who carried the nuclear codes for former President Barack Obama, and who lived in Ann Arbor before relocating to Brighton. William Lawrence is a 35-year-old community activist who founded a climate change group and is Lansing born and bred, trying to prove that a more progressive, Bernie Sanders-backed candidate can win in a swing district where Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
That district, by the way, is anchored in Democratic-leaning Lansing and its environs, but Ingham and Eaton counties become more conservative the further from the capital and Michigan State University one gets. And the 7th also includes outer-ring suburbs in traditionally Republican Livingston County to the east and rural communities in Clinton and Shiawassee counties to the north.
We asked each Democratic candidate recently for their elevator pitches as to why they should win the Aug. 4 primary. Here’s what we heard, with the responses edited for clarity and brevity:
Bridget Brink: ‘I will never back down’
“I would just say this. I’m the only one in the race with a proven record of holding Trump accountable, as he has hurt our interests at home and abroad, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do in Congress. We have our first ad on TV out today and it’s about the values that my Michigan autoworker grandfather (who lived in the district; Brink was raised in west Michigan) instilled in me, that took me from President Obama’s NSC (National Security Council) to wartime Ukraine, before resigning, speaking out, and fighting back.”
“I’m a lifelong public servant. I never thought I’d be in politics. I’ve served five presidents… and as the first female ambassador in a war zone, I led our mission under Russia’s missile and drone attacks for three years. I left my career of almost 30 years to resign, speak out against Trump and fight back against the assault on our democracy… These guys, from my opponents to Tom Barrett to top Trump officials, they really think they can win by trying to attack me. But I’ve spent my entire career facing death threats, cyber attacks, disinformation, missiles and drones from Vladimir Putin, and they should know that this does not scare me and I will never back down.”
Will Lawrence: voters ‘hungry for real representation’
“I’m the only candidate that is from here. I was raised here, I’ve lived most of my life here… I’m the only candidate with a vibrant grassroots campaign. We’ve got nearly 1,000 volunteers involved and the enthusiasm and the word of mouth on the ground is palpable around my campaign. And I’m the only candidate that is not funded by Silicon Valley and Wall Street but instead is funded by regular folks, especially folks here in the district and in the state of Michigan, who are hungry for real representation that is rooted in community.’
“I stand with the people of the district in skepticism of AI (artificial intelligence) data centers… I support Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for a 12-month federal moratorium on new data centers until we can ensure that appropriate guardrails are in place… I’m also the only candidate in the race that has committed to vote against further arming of Israel until its aggression across the Middle East and the ongoing human rights abuses in Palestine are ceased… I’m also the only candidate in the race to have called for a single-payer (government-run) healthcare system.”
Matt Maasdam: people ‘want somebody who’s going to fight’
“As a Navy SEAL for 20 years and having carried the nuclear codes for President Obama, I am the most electable person in this race, particularly when facing Barrett. I do well with independents… My military background just goes a really long way there… I think it’s going to take a veteran to get a veteran out of this spot. (Barrett is a former Army helicopter pilot). Also I’m a no corporate PAC person, a no-stock-trading-in-Congress person… I want to see the dark money out. I don’t think you should be going to Congress to line your pocketbooks. I think you should be going there to serve the people of your state, your district and the country, right?”
“They (the primary voters) want a fighter. They want somebody who’s going to fight for the Constitution, that’s going to fight for their wallets and is going to fight against corruption. And they want somebody who’s pragmatic and isn’t like going to be put in a box. They want somebody who can both take care of the interests of the Democrats and reach across the aisle to get things done for the district. And they want somebody, I think, and most importantly… they are very, very interested in getting across the finish line (getting a Democrat elected)… And they’re excited about my candidacy because of it.”
A quick rundown on some issues…
Lawrence made the most of his elevator pitch in terms of laying out his policy agenda in terms of universal health care, stopping data centers and supporting housing access; he, Maasdam and Brink were all committed to bringing inflation and gas prices down and battling Trump’s agenda in terms of protecting fundamental freedoms. Each has called for banning stock trading by members of Congress. In terms of health care, Brink and Maasdam support a government-backed public option that would make healthcare access universal, though not necessarily a single-payer plan (like that Lawrence favors) that would cover all Americans. All wanted tariff reform and an end to the war in Iran.
Across the board, there was every reason to believe any of the three would generally vote in line with their party on issues of social and civil rights; protecting voter rights, Social Security, Medicare and social programs; and enacting measures to preserve and improve the environment.
…and some attacks that have been traded
Brink, like the others, is a political newcomer but is seen as having a strong position in the race, given that she’s led the others in fundraising and appears to be a centrist and is a professionally accomplished woman. Candidates such as that have done well in Democratic politics in Michigan in recent years.
She has also been hit with some criticisms: She owned a relatively small amount of stock in a lithium company at a time when the U.S. and Ukraine were negotiating a mineral rights deal (though the company she invested in wasn’t directly involved). Maasdam, particularly, has also noted that Brink, while critical of Trump as she left the diplomatic corps for failing to adequately support an ally in Ukraine, reposted a message praising Trump after a contentious, much-criticized meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in early 2025. (Brink, who was appointed ambassador by former President Biden, has said it was still her job then to be supportive of U.S. policy regardless, but that was one of the larger reasons she left.) Lawrence, meanwhile, blasted her for holding a fundraiser in Washington with officials from ExxonMobil, “the richest of the Big Oil giants.” (She responded that she has already proven that, “No one can buy my voice. No one can buy my vote.”)
Maasdam, too, has been hit with some criticism (especially from Brink) following a FOX News story claiming that while he considers making products in America to be a priority, apparel companies he worked for or founded after leaving the service outsourced some products to foreign producers. (Maasdam has said that when he did, as a CEO of a company, have the ability to fully produce products in the United States, he did so.)
Some final analysis
The real question in this election, which to a certain degree mirrors that in the Democratic race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, is what the electorate poised to cast Democratic primary votes in about a week, when absentee ballots are mailed out, looks like. Lawrence, like U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, is relying on progressive forces turning out in droves and overcoming what has traditionally been seen as an older, more centrist voting bloc.
That’s been true in the state as a whole generally. Is it true of the 7th District as currently constituted? It hasn’t really been tested in a Democratic congressional primary in this region in a very long time. U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who represented the district before Barrett, began representing the area in 2019 but didn’t face strong competition. The political presumption is that ultimately, even the Democrats here are middle-of-the-road for their party.
“This is a bread and butter type district,” said pollster Ed Sarpolus, with Target Insyght in Lansing, who lives in the district. Winning candidates, he said, tend to be “more conservative” and get along with business types. “These are farmers… everyday people,” he said. And he’s right, looking back at Democrats who served here, like Slotkin and former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow when she was in the U.S. House.
Certainly, Brink and Maasdam expect that to hold. Lawrence, on the other hand, is betting this is a year of change. And there hasn’t been enough independent polling, if any, to prove any of them wrong as of yet.
Barrett, meanwhile, has been shoring up his independent bona fides, preparing himself for whichever candidate he faces in the fall campaign. While he’s recently hosted visits from Trump administration officials, he also notably was one of a handful of House Republicans who joined Democrats in a resolution calling for an end to the Iran War. And while he’s largely been a reliable vote for many of Trump’s priorities, he has kept a primary focus on veterans and military issues.
In the end, though, there’s probably no chance that this race doesn’t end up being a tough, expensive slog for Barrett and whoever he faces.
“It appears to be very competitive between Maasdam and Brink,” said John Sellek, who has been a consultant on Republican campaigns and is CEO of Harbor Strategic, a public relations firm in Lansing (and who lives in the district).
Brink, he said, has been “pulling a lot of establishment Democratic support” from Ingham County, while Maasdam “appears to be using his military/Navy Seal/male angle to work Livingston and the non-Ingham areas more heavily.” Maasdam, he added, also seems more willing to go on the attack, though it’s unclear if it’s helping.
Which leaves Lawrence, he said, who “could catch a ride on the El Sayed turnout train” if one exists, but that would be a big change in this district. But we’ll find out in six weeks’ time.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 Dems vie to replace Republican in most competitive Michigan district
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
