Date updated: July 21st

Will Lawrence is the only candidate who stands up to the billionaires to fight for Mid-Michigan working families

Summary: Voters need to see that Will Lawrence is the only candidate who stands up to the billionaires and fights for Mid-Michigan working families. Unlike his corporate opponents, Will refuses money from Wall Street and Silicon Valley executives and is backed by Bernie Sanders. That’s why he’s the best Democrat to beat Tom Barrett so we can lower costs, pass Medicare for All, and end corruption by getting big money out of politics.

Voters should know key stories about Will’s fight for Michigan working families targeted by billionaires:

• Story 1: Will is the only candidate standing up to Big Tech billionaires who are building data centers in Michigan that are raising energy bills and destroying home values.
• Story 2: When a Wall Street firm bought up mid-Michigan homes that led to over 70 Michigan families facing mass eviction, Will Lawrence worked tirelessly to make sure they had homes.

Core goals

• Likely Democratic voters need to see our core message on the go.
  • Likely Democratic voters who are on the permanent absentee ballot list or who requested mail ballots need to see our message on the go starting in week 6.
  • In weeks 4–0, all likely Democratic primary voters need to see our message on the go.
• If budget allows, in weeks 3-1, voters not on the permanent absentee list should read this message.
• If budget allows, after the previously listed goals, voters should see our core message on cable.
• Voters not on the permanent absentee list need to read about the differences between Lawrence and his opponents:
  • His roots in the district
  • The funding his opponents get from Silicon Valley and Wall Street

Key targets

• Voters in the Flint and Detroit media markets (Livingston, Oakland, and Shiawassee counties) especially need to see this message on the go. Likely Democrat Primary voters in the Detroit media market should see this message on the go ASAP.
• Voters who need to see information about Lawrence: likely Democrat Primary Voters who have voted in 2 of the last 5 Democratic primaries.
• More information on who needs to see and read about Lawrence will be available in Week 6.

Key citations

• Will is the only candidate raised and rooted in the district. Voters should also know that he has a track record of serving and delivering:
  • He grew up in East Lansing.
  • He’s the only Democratic candidate who doesn’t own a $1+ million home in DC. 
  • He’s the only Democratic candidate who has won local, state, and federal legislation. He helped win over $3 billion of federal funding to lower energy bills and create good jobs in the 7th district.
  • He has helped local families avoid homelessness and passed laws in Lansing to help renters stay in their homes.
  • On the campaign trail Will has taken on GOP Rep. Tom Barrett directly, holding a 30-hour food drive and vigil outside his office after Barrett voted to cut benefits to Mid-Michiganders. He sat outside Barrett’s office for a whole day and invited voters to “Ask Me Anything” in contrast to Barrett’s refusal to hold a town hall.
  • He’s spoken out against data center development across the district. He’s given numerous public comments against proposed projects and worked with community advocates to organize their neighbors.
• As the American Prospect reported, Will is “Upending Conventional Wisdom on How to Win Congressional Districts” by building a cross-ideological coalition tapping into data center opposition and frustration with the political establishment.
• Will co-founded the Rent is Too Damn High campaign, which has urged state and local lawmakers to take action to protect renters from unsafe housing conditions and skyrocketing rents. He also co-founded the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center which has helped Michigan families avoid homelessness.
• His Democratic opponents were hand-picked by DC insiders and aren’t from the district. They are backed by the same corporate interests as Tom Barrett. They take cues from the healthcare executives and Big Tech CEOs funding their campaigns, not working Michiganders. That’s why they’re unwilling to call for Medicare for All, a stop to endless wars, or a halt to data center development. Brink has taken tens of thousands of dollars from executives at the richest companies in America: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cryptocurrency firms, Wells Fargo, and data center developers. Maasdam has taken maximum donations from Wall Street executives, private equity fund managers, and Silicon Valley tech oligarchs.
  • Additionally, Bridget Brink has drawn scrutiny for owning shares in a major American lithium company at the time she was the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, which has one of the largest reserves of the precious resource.
  • As an Executive at Under Armour, Matt Maasdam outsourced American jobs overseas and was caught lying about his company’s products — claiming they were a hundred percent American made.
  • Key Bridget Brink donations: 
    • Leonard Schaeffer, CEO of Elevance, the rebranded Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield – $7,000
    • Eric Knight, Head of Crypto Strategies at Jane Street – $7,000
    • Alan Jones, Managing Director at Wells Fargo – $3,738
    • John & Ann Doerr, Kleiner Perkins (Silicon Valley VC) – $7,000
    • Donald R. Dixon, Co-Founder of Trident Capital (Silicon Valley VC)  — $3,500
    • Rick Holmstrom, Founder & Managing Partner of Menlo Equities (Silicon Valley real estate investment firm, including data center development via Menlo Digital) – $3,500
    • Held a DC fundraiser with two Exxon Mobil senior staffers
  • Key Matt Maasdam donations:
    • Medhi Alhassani, Head of government Affairs at Palantir – $3,500
    • Cedomir Crnkovic, Managing Director at D.E. Shaw Group – $7,000
    • Joseph Steinberg, Chairman of Jefferies Financial Group – $7,000
    • Gaurav Kapadia & Renee Jhu, CEO & Executive Assistant at XN investment group – $7,000 each
    • Brian Jacobs – Co-founder of Emergence Capital (Silicon Valley VC) – $7,000
    • Scott Stuart – founding partner at Sageview Capital (private equity) – $7,000

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