Democrat William Lawrence led Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett in partial returns Wednesday morning in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press.

As of AP’s 6:29 a.m. EST update Nov. 4, Lawrence had 201,719 votes, or 51.0%, compared with Barrett’s 189,203 votes, or 47.8%. AP estimated that 96% of votes had been counted.

AP had not declared a winner in that update. Election returns are unofficial and may change as additional ballots are counted.

Michigan 7th District results

The following figures appeared in AP’s 6:29 a.m. EST update Nov. 4:

Candidate

Party

Votes

Percentage

William Lawrence

Democratic

201,719

51.0%

Tom Barrett, incumbent

Republican

189,203

47.8%

Shane Dedrick

Green

4,963

1.3%

Lawrence led Barrett by 12,516 votes. Percentages may not total 100% because of rounding. AP’s estimated share of votes counted is not a precinct reporting percentage.

The district covers Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee and Livingston counties, along with portions of Eaton, Genesee and Oakland counties, according to WKAR. It includes Lansing and East Lansing.

What’s at stake

Democrats targeted at least three Republican-held Michigan seats, including the 7th District, according to Bridge Michigan.

Michigan State University political science associate professor Marty Jordan described the 7th District as a bellwether for House control.

“As the Michigan 7th goes, it will probably be how the US House goes,” Jordan told Bridge Michigan.

The candidates

Barrett, a former state senator from Charlotte, sought a second term. He won election to Congress in 2024 by 3.7 percentage points after losing to Elissa Slotkin in 2022, according to Bridge Michigan.

Lawrence is a first-time candidate and community organizer from Lansing, according to CBS News Detroit.

Data center development became a prominent campaign issue. Barrett introduced legislation to prohibit public officials from signing nondisclosure agreements related to data centers, protect local land-use decisions from federal intervention and require developers to cover increased electric grid capacity costs, WKAR reported.

Lawrence called for a federal moratorium on all data center development.

Millions spent on advertising

Lawrence and groups supporting him had spent more than $33 million on advertising, while Barrett and outside supporters had spent more than $27 million, Bridge Michigan reported in late October, citing AdImpact data and media reports.

How to track results

Readers can follow additional returns through AP’s Michigan U.S. House results page or the Michigan Secretary of State’s election results page.

AP declares winners when its Decision Team determines trailing candidates no longer have a path to victory. Vote totals remain unofficial until canvassing and certification are complete.