U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett is calling his Democratic challenger a “convicted felon” over a 2013 arrest at an Enbridge pipeline protest, reviving a case that ended in a guilty plea and, according to William Lawrence's campaign, a later expungement. The clash marks an early flashpoint in what's shaping up to be one of the most closely watched House races in the country, centered on Michigan's 7th Congressional District.
Lawrence, a community organizer and climate advocate, was one of four people charged with a felony after a 2013 protest at an Enbridge construction site in Ingham County, according to MLive. He pleaded guilty to felony resisting and obstructing a police officer after locking himself to Enbridge construction equipment and refusing orders to leave, while other protesters at the demonstration faced only a misdemeanor trespassing charge. The protest, which took place at Grimes and Dexter Trail roads near Stockbridge, drew 11 climate activists attempting to halt construction on Enbridge's Line 6B pipeline expansion, according to MIRS News.
A Pipeline Fight Rooted in the Kalamazoo Spill
Lawrence and his fellow activists were organizing with the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands at the time, protesting Enbridge's move to replace and expand the 6B pipeline's capacity just three years after the same pipeline ruptured near Marshall, sending 843,000 gallons of oil into a creek leading to the Kalamazoo River, per MLive's reporting. That 2010 spill is remembered as one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history, and its cleanup lasted several years and cost more than $1 billion, the outlet reports. Lawrence, then 22, later reflected on the arrest in an Instagram video posted this month, calling the act “righteous” but acknowledging it may have been “perhaps not” the wisest move, according to MIRS News.
Two years after that arrest, Lawrence co-founded the Sunrise Movement, the youth-led climate group that went on to help popularize the Green New Deal framework nationally, as noted by The Guardian. That trajectory from local grassroots organizer to national climate figure helped fuel his August 4 primary win, in which he captured 43.7% of the vote, or 55,921 ballots, defeating former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, according to FOX 2 Detroit's coverage of the primary. Hoodline previously reported on former Gov. Jennifer Granholm's endorsement bet on Brink ahead of that contest.
Barrett Accuses Media of a Cover-Up
Barrett, who flipped the 7th District for Republicans in November 2024 by defeating Democrat Curtis Hill, is now seeking a second term. He is a 22-year U.S. Army veteran and National Guard helicopter pilot who previously served in the Michigan House and Senate, per MLive. Barrett has accused the media of trying to cover up Lawrence's record and has said flatly that Lawrence tried to shut down a pipeline, arguing pipelines are among the safest ways to transport petroleum products and other energy resources, according to the same MLive report.
Lawrence's campaign counters that the conviction was legally expunged, meaning that under most circumstances it is treated as though it never occurred. Michigan's Clean Slate statute, MCL 780.623, removes a set-aside conviction from the public background-check databases used by employers and landlords, though the Michigan State Police still maintains a nonpublic record accessible to courts, law enforcement, and prosecutors, according to the Michigan State Police. Research from Safe & Just Michigan on the 2020 reforms found that people who successfully set aside a conviction saw average wage gains of 23% in the first year after their record was cleared, underscoring the economic stakes tied to expungement policy.
Lawrence Turns the Attack Back on Barrett's Donors
The district itself is a genuine battleground. Michigan's 7th covers all of Clinton, Ingham, Livingston and Shiawassee counties along with portions of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland counties, and the Cook Political Report rates the seat a toss-up, per MLive's account. Barrett recently toured Capital Region International Airport in Lansing alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, part of his ongoing profile as an incumbent balancing national visibility with local ties — Hoodline earlier covered his effort to limit war powers over Iran.
Lawrence has pushed back hard on Barrett's framing, saying the congressman is misrepresenting his record and arguing that peacefully protesting to protect Michigan's water should not be compared with familial abuse. He pointed to Barrett's campaign contributions from the Dependable Conservative Leadership PAC, which is affiliated with Ohio Rep. Max Miller and donated $2,000 to Barrett's campaign in 2022, $1,000 in 2024, and $2,500 in March 2025, according to MLive's review of campaign finance filings. Miller is currently facing a House Ethics Committee probe after his ex-wife accused him of abusing her and their young child, allegations Miller denies, per the same reporting.
Barrett has not said whether he will return the PAC contributions, telling reporters he plans to wait for the House Ethics Committee's findings before deciding, MLive reports. That stance puts him in company with most Republicans who received Miller-linked money — the Colorado Times Recorder found that Minnesota Rep. Brad Finstad's campaign is so far the only House campaign to have returned funds from Miller's PAC, which has distributed more than $70,000 to competitive Republican House races. Lawrence, for his part, said Barrett's response to the expungement dispute “explains why people are frustrated with politics,” according to MLive.
What's Ahead in November
Beyond the dueling character attacks, Lawrence built momentum during the primary on a platform opposing federal support for AI data centers, winning 49% of the primary vote in Mason, Michigan, where a data center project had been proposed, The Guardian reported. Lawrence and Barrett will face off in the November 3 general election, with control of a genuine swing seat — and the competing narratives about protest records, donor money, and rural land use — likely to remain central to the race.
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