State Rep. Donavan McKinney’s victory over Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary put Detroit on track to become the only major American city whose entire U.S. House delegation belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America.
McKinney, a DSA member and lifelong Detroiter, defeated the two-term incumbent 51.9% to 48.1%. The 13th District covers most of Detroit along with Taylor, Romulus, Highland Park, Hamtramck and the Grosse Pointes. The neighboring 12th District, which includes the rest of the city plus Dearborn and nearby suburbs, is held by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a longtime DSA member who won her own primary the same night. Together, the two districts make up Detroit’s entire House delegation.
If McKinney wins the general election in the heavily Democratic seat, as expected, both of the city’s House members will be members of the DSA. No other major U.S. city currently has its full House representation made up entirely of DSA members.
Thanedar’s 2022 victory had left Detroit without a black representative in the House for the first time in decades after a crowded primary split the black vote. McKinney is black and grew up in the city. His win puts Detroit on track to restore that representation and to complete the city’s shift to full DSA control of its House seats.
McKinney’s win came after a campaign backed by the Metro Detroit DSA chapter, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tlaib, and several members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He ran on Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ending military aid to Israel. He repeatedly pointed to his roots in Northeast Detroit and contrasted them with Thanedar’s record as a self-funding multimillionaire Indian immigrant.
Thanedar had broken with the Democratic Socialists of America in 2023 over Israel, weeks after the group’s Metro Detroit chapter voted to expel him over his support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the race was called, he acknowledged the broader change: “The socialist movement that has defeated many sitting members in New York and elsewhere has come to Michigan, and we came out short.” He said he would support McKinney in November.
McKinney’s win follows a broader trend of DSA-aligned candidates defeating incumbent House Democrats this cycle, including in primaries in New York and Colorado.
Metro Detroit DSA celebrated the outcome, noting it had expelled Thanedar three years earlier and had now taken the seat.
McKinney said after the race was called, “Detroit, I am honored beyond measure to be your Democratic nominee to represent the Mighty 13th in Congress. I am so proud that our community is sending me to Congress to fight for a better future.”
The general election is November 3.
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