Data Center Record.

Michigan U.S. House District 7 2026: where the candidates stand on data centers

4 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the Michigan Department of State's list. The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: Michigan Department of State, Official Candidate Listing, Candidate Listing Report, All State and Judicial Offices, General Election, Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (721 Candidates as of Fri Sep 04 08:48:42 EDT (the page's own footer; the year is not printed there, the election is November 3, 2026)).

Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections

More on Michigan: the state page · its laws and bills on data centers · its leaders

The candidates

  1. Tom Barrett, Republican candidate for U.S. House District 7, Michigan

    Tom Barrett

    Republican · In office

    Of 12 statements on the record, 1 was for data centers, 4 raised concerns about data centers and 7 carry no label.

    What they said

    1 4 0

    What they did

    0 votes in favor of data centers 1 vote against

    12 statements · 1 vote on the record

    Photo: House Creative Services, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

    Tom Barrett's page · In their own words

  2. William Lawrence

    Democratic

    William Lawrence, Democratic nominee for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, announced plan to pause data center and advanced AI development and establish a national AI compact.

    Their newest statement on the record, September 18, 2026, Michigan Public.

    What they said

    3 statements on the record

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    3 statements · 0 votes on the record

    William Lawrence's page · In their own words

  3. Shane Dedrick

    Green Party

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 21, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Shane Dedrick's page · In their own words

  4. Felix Thibodeau

    Working Class Party

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 12, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Felix Thibodeau's page · In their own words

Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.

In their own words

Where does Tom Barrett stand on data centers?

Of 12 statements on the record, 1 was for data centers, 4 raised concerns about data centers and 7 carry no label.

Statements 12 statements

  1. · paraphrased

    While Lawrence supports a full moratorium on data center construction, Barrett has said that he doesn’t think the federal government should be involved.

    newrepublic.com · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · paraphrased

    Rep. Tom Barrett said the stripping away of local control took place in pursuit of a Green New Deal agenda in Lansing.

    Heatmap News · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · paraphrased

    Rep. Tom Barrett voted against subsidizing a data facility in Grand Rapids in 2015

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  4. · paraphrased

    Barrett supported One Big Beautiful Bill Act which extended corporate tax benefits for AI companies including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, and Nvidia

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  5. · paraphrased

    Barrett backed SPEED Act permitting bill that would reduce federal environmental reviews for data centers

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  6. · paraphrased

    Representative Tom Barrett, a Michigan Republican, introduced legislation aimed at protecting local authority over data center siting and preventing secrecy pledges.

    WBFF · Full quote, context and sources

  7. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    When serving in the Michigan House of Representatives, Barrett voted against legislation to give corporate welfare for data center construction and equipment purchases.

    barrett.house.gov · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  8. · paraphrased

    Rep. Tom Barrett is leading the No Data Center NDAs Act to prohibit members of Congress from signing non disclosure agreements about data centers

    Representative Tom Barrett | (.gov) · [Archived Copy] · also reported by 1 more · Full quote, context and sources

  9. · paraphrased

    Rep. Tom Barrett is leading the Protecting Local Control of Data Centers Act to prohibit federal agencies from overriding local authority to reject data centers

    Representative Tom Barrett | (.gov) · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  10. · paraphrased

    Rep. Tom Barrett introduced legislation Aug. 20 to bar federal agencies from interfering in local decision making on data center siting and regulation

    The Detroit News · Full quote, context and sources

  11. · paraphrased

    Barrett stated: 'Families in my district are rightly concerned about the effect data centers could have on their utility bills, as well as the land and water in their neighborhood.'

    barrett.house.gov · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  12. · paraphrased

    Tom Barrett, Congressman from Charlotte, Michigan, is drafting legislation to prohibit federal agencies from overriding local control for data center zoning

    The Detroit News · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 1 vote

1 vote on data center measures: 0 in favor of data centers, 1 against.

  1. Voted yes on a measure that limited data centers: H.R. 9340, U.S. House of Representatives, September 16, 2026 · against

Where does William Lawrence stand on data centers?

William Lawrence has 3 statements on data centers on the record.

Statements 3 statements

  1. · paraphrased

    William Lawrence, Democratic nominee for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, announced plan to pause data center and advanced AI development and establish a national AI compact.

    Michigan Public · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · paraphrased

    Lawrence's plan calls for pausing data center development and setting environmental protections around data centers.

    Michigan Public · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · paraphrased

    Democrat William Lawrence has proposed a federal moratorium on data centers to allow time for establishing regulations

    The Detroit News · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Shane Dedrick stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Shane Dedrick.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Shane Dedrick.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Felix Thibodeau stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Felix Thibodeau.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Felix Thibodeau.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Candidates and their order come from the Michigan Department of State's list, verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.

Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.

Every race in Michigan, and where each candidate stands

Bill data from LegiScan, licensed CC BY 4.0. The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.

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