Sunrise Movement targets Dem primaries: “Time to clear house”

The Sunrise Movement is entering the fray in the 2026 Democratic Primaries, endorsing two candidates that the organization believes will be able to connect the urgency of the ongoing climate and affordability crises.

In a statement ahead of the endorsement, the organization explained that its electoral goals in the 2026 midterms were born not only out of opposition to the GOP’s increasing authoritarianism, but also out of outrage at the current Democratic leadership.

“For far too long, Democratic leadership has failed to meet the moment; it’s time to clear house,” said Sunrise Movement executive director Aru Shiney-Ajay.

The Sunrise Movement announced Monday it would be endorsing William Lawrence, a progressive activist running to represent Michigan’s 7th District, and Robert Peters, a state senator running to represent Illinois’ 2nd District.

The endorsements come as the Sunrise Movement, an environmental activism organization, is expanding its mission to include fighting growing authoritarianism in the United States. Simultaneously, the Trump administration is targeting major funders of the movement in its effort to crack down on liberal groups following the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

It also comes as various factions compete for influence in the future of the Democratic Party. Groups like the Justice Democrats and Leaders We Deserve have been supporting progressive candidates in party primaries, while groups like Third Way, the Welcome Party, and institutions like The New York Times push for the party to double down on its centrist 2024 strategy.

In an interview with Salon, Lawrence rejected the notion that Americans are yearning for a centrist party, saying that voters want candidates who offer tangible material, positive change.

“Most voters don’t think in terms of progressive and moderate. They think in terms of change and the status quo, and this is an election when people want change, and that’s what I’m offering,” Lawrence said.

Asked how he plans to underscore the urgency of environmental issues at a time when Americans are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis and increasing authoritarianism, Lawrence said that, in his mind, the issues are directly connected.

“We’re working for a future that we can enjoy and look forward to, and it needs to include all these different pieces. This isn’t a time for half measures. It’s a time for big solutions. And we need a plan for this century that’s every bit as ambitious as the New Deal or the Great Society, and it’s going to require just as much conflict with the economic elites in order to win it,” Lawrence said.

Specifically, Lawrence pointed to the issue of data center construction, which has become increasingly salient around the United States as artificial intelligence companies push to build power-hungry facilities to power their large language models.

Lawrence said that, in his district, he’s heard from both Democrats and Republicans who are concerned about the impact that these centers will have on their electric bills, as well as the effect that building additional natural gas plants to power the data centers would have on local waterways.

Lawrence added that climate policy and specifically President Donald Trump and the Republicans’ reversal of many Inflation Reduction Act measures have led to economic harm in his district. In Lansing specifically, one of the city’s two General Motors assembly plants received a $500 million grant under the Biden-era law, which Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., the district’s incumbent, voted to claw back.

In Lawrence’s view, his district and the country’s affordability and environmental issues need to be addressed in a comprehensive New Deal-style package of legislation with the goal of providing economic security generations into the future.

“We need to make major investments in renewable energy in order to cut the carbon pollution out of the system. We need to create good jobs doing that, and we need to make sure that everybody in the economy is taken care of with the good housing and good health care that they deserve. This is our great purpose for the 21st century, to manage this transition such that we have better and more beautiful lives, rather than the frightening and uncertain future that many of us see now,” Lawrence said.