Conservative Outlets Resurface Deleted Posts by Michigan Democrat William Lawrence
The republished items, including a reported 2021 tweet calling the U.S. a 'shithole,' create a vulnerability in a tight Michigan House race that could prompt Republican ad targeting as Democrats decide how to respond.
Overview
- Conservative outlets on Sept. 28–29 highlighted since-deleted posts attributed to William Lawrence, calling attention to a reported January 2021 tweet that said 'shithole country' and a reported May 2021 post showing an upside-down American flag.
- Earlier reporting described a larger trove of deleted social posts and 2024 podcast remarks in which Lawrence reportedly advocated radical changes such as abolishing police and borders and called for redistributing land and wealth.
- Multiple articles note that the claims come from deleted social posts and podcast recordings and have been reported by partisan outlets, and they have not been independently verified in the coverage provided.
- Lawrence has ties that opponents are emphasizing: he launched his campaign at an event with and later employed Deshawn Bailey, and he recently let a Democratic Socialist affiliation lapse while House Democrats added him to the Red-to-Blue program.
- The resurfacing is likely to shape campaign strategy in Michigan’s competitive 7th District by prompting rapid Republican ad buys and forcing Democrats to decide whether to defend, distance from, or reframe Lawrence’s record.