AMNA NAWAZ: We want to zero in now on some of the most notable results from last night's election.

And we will start with Michigan's Seventh Congressional District.

That's in the Lansing area.

That is where progressive activist William Lawrence unseated Republican Tom Barrett in one of the years' most competitive House races.

Representative-elect Will Lawrence joins me now.

Representative-elect, congratulations.

Thanks for joining us.

WILLIAM LAWRENCE (D), Michigan Representative-Elect: Thank you so much.

It's my pleasure to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: So this race was one of the most closely watched races in the entire nation, also among the most expensive House races in the country.

It's a critical swing district in Michigan that Republicans really fought hard to hang on to.

So how did you turn it blue?

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: It was all about the grassroots movement that we built.

We knocked on more doors than any House campaign in the entire country.

We have got thousands of volunteers who were out there knocking on those hundreds of thousands of doors.

And I spent the last 15 months crisscrossing the district, showing up in small towns all over and here in the city of Lansing in the suburbs.

And we took nothing for granted, went out to reach every single voter.

And people were motivated by our campaign because I didn't take a dime of corporate PAC money, despite going up against $23 million from the other side.

More money was spent trying to take me down than any other Democrat in the country.

And they saw me speaking out on issues like stopping these wars, saying no to AI data centers, and investing in good housing and health care that we can actually afford.

AMNA NAWAZ: We should mention to folks you co founded the Sunrise Movement.

You are a climate activist.

And, yes, AI data centers, regulating AI, those were core parts of your message.

Why did they resonate so deeply where you are?

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: You know, it came to me from the bottom up.

I started getting calls in the fall that we had not one, not two, but three hyperscale AI data centers proposed in different parts of my district.

And in listening to people, it was clear that the pitch from these data center developers was just not persuasive.

They're proposing to suck up a lot of our water, jack up our energy bills, cause all kinds of noise pollution and damage people's property values, all for the sake of generating AI, which, to hear them tell it, is going to put tens of millions of people out of work, if it doesn't kill us all by accident.

So people just really responded organically in opposition to these bullies from Silicon Valley and Wall Street, and I was proud to stand alongside those residents throughout the campaign.

AMNA NAWAZ: So you were previously endorsed by Bernie Sanders.

We should note your primary opponent was actually endorsed by Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who previously held this seat.

She is a moderate.

You are a progressive.

What does your win say about this district or about the party more broadly?

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: I think all the results last night show that the American people delivered a striking rebuke to the Trump agenda and are -- have delivered a mandate for change.

We have got to get the prices down.

We have got to protect the Affordable Care Act and reverse the cuts to Medicaid.

We have got to pass a war powers resolution to end this war in Iran.

And people also want to see us stop arming Israel, stop sending money to drop more bombs around the world when our neighbors here in Michigan can't afford basic housing and health care.

And I see that similar message was delivered all over the country, and I'm thrilled to be part of this huge majority, and we got to be ready to go in January to pass bills through the House and the Senate to make folks' lives easier.

AMNA NAWAZ: I hear you saying your priorities for wanting to bring prices down, which seems to be the number one reason people voted so broadly for Democrats wanting change.

On the accountability front, if I can ask you, where do you think Democrats' priority should be?

Where should you go first in oversight hearings or impeachment or some other step?

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: I think there will be various ideas about how to approach it.

But we've got to end this... AMNA NAWAZ: What is your top priority?

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: I'm interested to have conversations with my colleagues.

We have to put a stop to this elite impunity.

I mean, we got to get the Epstein files released.

That is one top priority.

So there's a bill that it was introduced by Khanna and Massie that was just one signature shy on the discharge petition from getting a vote.

We definitely have to vote that bill on the House floor.

And when it comes to the rest of the president's corruption and that of his administration, we have to pursue oversight and hearings and accountability and do it in a way which makes sure that we're clear that this is about defending the rule of law and putting to an end this age of elite impunity that, frankly, both parties have been complicit in.

So we got to make sure to do it the right way and not allow it to distract from the economic agenda, but we got to continue to defend our economy and our democracy walking hand in hand there.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Representative-elect William Lawrence from Michigan's Seventh Congressional District joining us tonight.

Thank you so much for your time.

WILLIAM LAWRENCE: Thank you.