Democratic Candidate Will Lawrence Links Big Tech Data Centers to Mass Surveillance and Warfare

About this episode

Breaking Points hosts Ryan Grim interviewed Will Lawrence, a Democratic congressional candidate running in Michigan's competitive 7th district in a primary race that has attracted national attention. Lawrence, who is backed by Bernie Sanders and co-founded the Sunrise Movement, is running against two more centrist opponents for the chance to challenge Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in what is considered one of the top five swing districts that will determine House control. The interview centered on Lawrence's viral campaign ad opposing big tech data centers, an issue that has unexpectedly galvanized his campaign and united voters across party lines. Lawrence argued that AI data centers represent tools of surveillance and warfare rather than economic progress, citing concerns from the pope about AI-enabled killing and criticizing how tech companies use NDAs to railroad local communities. The conversation also featured extended discussion of Palantir CEO Alex Karp's recent animated interview where he warned that AI industry hype about mass unemployment will trigger wealth taxes on billionaires, a tax Lawrence supports. Lawrence provided insider perspective from his time at Sunrise Movement, revealing how the Biden administration under Jake Sullivan transformed green industrial policy into a vehicle for confrontation with China, which he argues destroyed the Democratic coalition. He framed his campaign as a test of whether populist progressive politics can flip Republican seats when candidates focus on economic issues like housing affordability, healthcare costs, and opposition to endless war rather than accepting corporate consulting orthodoxy about what swing district voters will accept.