Michigan Democratic House candidate Will Lawrence’s previous arrest during a protest against a crude oil pipeline is muddying the waters as the progressive attempts to distance himself from his previous membership in the Democratic Socialists of America.
According to documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Lawrence was one of several people arrested during a 2013 protest against the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which spans 645 miles from Wisconsin to Ontario and crosses Michigan.
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Lawrence and other protesters chained themselves to machinery in defiance of the pipeline, which was intended to meet critical U.S. energy needs. Lawrence and three others had to be cut off the machines to be arrested, and they were later charged with trespassing, resisting arrest, and obstructing a police officer.
Another skeleton in Lawrence’s closet is coming to light as he tries to project unity within the scrambled Democratic Party. In 2020, Lawrence fired off posts on X, formerly Twitter, calling to “defund the police,” at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. He praised state legislators who voted against fully funding local police departments.
Lawrence is the co-founder of Sunrise Movement, a network of climate activists based in Michigan that started in 2017. The organization garnered national attention in 2018 when the group organized a sit-in at Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office to get a Green New Deal passed. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) participated.
Lawrence let his DSA membership lapse earlier this month, which he said was an effort to bring focus to the issues facing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI). The race is rated a “toss-up” by Cook Political Report.
But since securing the nomination in the primary earlier this month, Lawrence has shifted away from the activist mindset, instead describing himself as an “organizer and coalition builder” focused on local issues.
“I just want to make very clear that I’m here to represent the people of this district and focus on the issues that are bringing people together,” he told CNN.
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Lawrence is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and will face Barrett in November. Recent polling by House Majority PAC, the Democratic Party’s campaign arm, suggests the progressive has a narrow lead over the incumbent.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Lawrence for comment.
