Brenda Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's14th district | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Peters |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brenda Lulenar (1954-10-18)October 18, 1954 (age 71) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Central Michigan University (BA) |
Brenda Lawrence (néeLulenar; born October 18, 1954) is an American retired politician and postal worker who served as theU.S. representative fromMichigan's 14th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. A member of theDemocratic Party, Lawrence served as mayor ofSouthfield, Michigan, from 2001 to 2015, and was the party's nominee forOakland Countyexecutive in 2008 and forlieutenant governor in2010. Her congressional district covered most of eastern Detroit, including downtown, and stretched west to take in portions ofOakland County, includingFarmington Hills,Pontiac, and Lawrence's home in Southfield.
Redrawn into the12th district, Lawrence did not seek reelection in 2022, and retired from Congress upon her fourth term's expiration in 2023.[1]
Lawrence grew up in Detroit's northeast side, on Lumpkin Street. She was raised by her grandparents after her mother died when she was three years old.[2] She attended local schools, graduating from Detroit'sPershing High School. She then earned her bachelor's degree in public administration fromCentral Michigan University.[3]
Lawrence had a 30-year career with theUnited States Postal Service, advancing to work in human resources. She retired in 2008.[4][5] In the early-1990s, as an active member of theParent-Teacher Association at her children's school, she sought and earned a seat on the Southfield Public SchoolsBoard of Education. She served as president, vice president, and secretary of the board.
Lawrence's husband was aUnited Auto Workers member fromFord Motor Company.[6]
Lawrence got more deeply involved in local affairs. In 1997, she was elected to serve on Southfield's City Council,[7] and in 1999 she was elected council president.[5]
In 2001, Lawrence defeated longtime incumbent Donald Fracassi for the mayor's office,[8] becoming the city's first African-American and first female mayor.[7] She was reelected in 2005 without opposition.[9] As mayor, she was invited by theUnited States House Committee on Oversight and Reform in 2008 to represent United States mayors in testimony about the mortgage crisis and its effect on American communities.[10] She returned to Washington later that year to lobby Congress for a bridge loan for theAmerican auto industry.[citation needed]
Lawrence served as a Michigan delegate to the2004 Democratic National Convention. As asuperdelegate at the2008 Democratic National Convention, she endorsedU.S. SenatorBarack Obama for president in June 2008.[11]
She successfully sought a third term as mayor in 2009, defeating former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan with nearly 80 percent of the vote.[12] She was reelected to a fourth term unopposed in 2013.[13]
In May 2008, Lawrence announced her candidacy for Oakland County Executive. She was unopposed for the Democratic nomination to unseat the longtimeRepublican incumbent,L. Brooks Patterson. Patterson won reelection 58% to 42%. Lawrence's challenge to the polarizing Patterson was identified as the strongest challenge he faced in his six elections for County Executive.[14][15]
Lansing MayorVirg Bernero named Lawrence as his running mate in his bid forgovernor of Michigan. She was formally nominated as the Democratic candidate forlieutenant governor at theMichigan Democratic Party convention in August 2010. They campaigned around the state promoting a "Main Street Agenda" with emphasis on their shared backgrounds as mayors.[16]
As with the national election results, the 2010 general election in Michigan saw strong turnout and enthusiasm by Republican voters. Political pundits attributed the losses by Democrats, in part, to voter reaction to President Obama and term-limited Democratic GovernorJennifer Granholm. The Democratic gubernatorial ticket lost to Republican nomineesRick Snyder, a businessman, andBrian Calley, a State Representative, 58% to 40%. No statewide Democratic candidates were successful in 2010.[17]
In late 2011, Lawrence announced she would be running in the newly redrawn14th congressional district. The district had previously been the 13th, represented by freshman DemocratHansen Clarke. It was redrawn to take in a large slice of Oakland County, including Southfield. Clarke's home in Detroit was drawn into the neighboring 13th district, but he opted to follow most of his constituents into the 14th.
In the Democratic primary, the real contest in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district, Lawrence faced incumbent representatives Clarke andGary Peters, both of whom lived outside the district,[18] and former State Representative Mary D. Waters. Peters won with 47%, to Clarke's 35%, Lawrence's 13%, and Waters's 3%. Peters went on to win the general election.
In May 2013, Peters announced that he would not be running for reelection in 2014. He insteadran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring DemocratCarl Levin. On January 23, 2014, Lawrence announced that she would run for the 14th district for the second time.[19]
Lawrence was the first candidate to submit signatures to the state in order to be on the August primary ballot, doing so in March. Other candidates that filed for the Democratic nomination were former Congressman Hansen Clarke of Detroit, State Representative Rudy Hobbs of Southfield and teacher Burgess D. Foster of Detroit.
During the course of the campaign's contribution reporting, Hobbs raised a total of $607,806, Lawrence $383,649 and Clarke $173,124; Burgess reported no contributions to the Federal Election Commission, indicating that he raised or spent less than $5,000. Michigan Congressman Sander Levin's Political Action Committee, GOALPAC, also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect Hobbs, who was previously employed on Levin's congressional staff.[20]
Lawrence won the Democratic Party nomination on August 5, 2014, with 36% of the vote to Hobbs's 32%, Clarke's 31% and Foster's 1%. She took the most votes in Oakland County, carrying Southfield, Pontiac and Oak Park, as well as Royal Oak Township. Although it was expected that Clarke would convincingly win the portion of Detroit within the district, where he lives and had previously held public office, Lawrence was competitive in the city and won more votes than all other candidates from voters who cast their ballot on Election Day in Detroit.[21]
As the Democratic nominee for Congress, she faced Republican nominee Christina Conyers of Detroit in the November general election. But Conyers withdrew from the race and Christina Barr of Pontiac was chosen as the Republican nominee.[22] The district has a history of voting heavily for Democratic candidates. Also facing off against Lawrence in the November election was Libertarian Party nominee Leonard Schwartz of Oak Park and Green Party nominee Stephen Boyle of Detroit.[23] Lawrence won with 78% of the vote, Barr took 20%, Schwartz 1% and Boyle 1%.
During the 2022 redistricting cycle, Lawrence's 14th district was eliminated as Detroit's congressional districts were radically reshuffled.[29] While redistricting did create an open, heavily Democratic13th district, the reshuffle combined with several deaths in Lawrence's family led to speculation that Lawrence would opt not to seek reelection.[29] On January 4, 2022, Lawrence announced that she would retire, becoming the 25th Democrat to do so that cycle.[30]
Lawrence was married to McArthur Lawrence prior to his death in 2023.[31] They were high school sweethearts, having met outside the Midway Market corner store where he worked on Detroit's east side. They bought their first home on Detroit's northwest side. They had two children and a granddaughter.
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 79% |
| Howard A. Klausner | 19% |
| Gregory Creswell | 2% |
| Marcia Squier | 1% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 78% |
| Christina Barr | 20% |
| Leonard Schwartz | 1% |
| Stephen Boyle | 1% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 36% |
| Rudy Hobbs | 32% |
| Hansen Clarke | 31% |
| Burgess Foster | 1% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 100% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Gary Peters | 47% |
| Hansen Clarke | 35% |
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 13% |
| Mary D. Waters | 3% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brian Calley | 58% |
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 40% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 77.6% |
| Sylvia Jordan | 22.3% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| L. Brooks Patterson | 58.1% |
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 41.6% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 100% |
| Name | Percent |
|---|---|
| Brenda L. Lawrence | 52.6% |
| Donald Fracassi | 47.4% |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Michigan 2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas Chair of the Democratic Women's Working Group | Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus 2019–2023 Served alongside:Lois Frankel,Jackie Speier | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 14th congressional district 2015–2023 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Women's Caucus 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
