Manu Raju Grills Dem Candidate Running In Slotkin’s Old District About Calling Her a ‘Warmonger’

William Lawrence (D), who is running as the Democratic nominee in Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-MI) old district, did not say he regretted calling his fellow Democrat a “warmonger” when given the chance by CNN’s Manu Raju.

Slotkin backed centrist Democrat Matt Maasdamc, who lost to Lawrence in the primary.

Raju asked about Lawrence and fellow progressive congressional candidate Abdul El-Sayed both taking “a very strong position against the Israeli government.”

“You say that the U.S. must stop arming Israel, accuse Israel of pursuing a genocide in Gaza. Is this now a litmus test for Democrats who want to win their primaries, especially in Michigan?” Raju asked.

“Certainly people are sick of seeing more of our tax dollars go to fund war crimes in Gaza, and in the West Bank, and this war of aggression in Lebanon, as well as this disastrous war that the U.S. and Israel have participated in together in Iran,” Lawrence said.

“They see that this is not making the American people any safer or more prosperous,” Lawrence continued, “and it’s resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties in Palestine and elsewhere. We’ve got to put a stop to this. We’ve all seen too much, and people are ready for candidates who are going to stand up to the war lobby and vote to stop arming Netanyahu’s government.”

“I think, I believe, right before the 2024 election, you referred to Elissa Slotkin (R-MI) as a ‘warmonger.’ I’m wondering if you regret that word choice?” Raju asked.

“You know, I’ve been a fierce critic of the way that people in both parties have voted for forever war,” Lawrence said. ” ‘m a Millennial. I’ve seen one war after another in theaters all around the globe for most of my life. And I will continue to be a fierce critic of those decisions and work to set our priorities straight as a country so we can invest in the American people instead of endless war.”

And I suppose you haven’t spoken to Elissa Slotkin since you’ve won?”

“No, but I look forward to speaking with her soon,” Lawrence answered.

Lawrence will go on to battle Republican incumbent Tom Barrett (R-MI) in the November general election.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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