Shri Thanedar Bought A Detroit Seat In Congress— Now Let’s Help Donavan McKinney Repossess It

Detroit’s Working-Class District Needs Working-Class Representation

Suppose you’re a progressive insurgent in a blue district challenging a Democratic incumbent who has done a bad job. How harsh can you be? Can you approach them as if you’re approaching a Republican? MI-13 is very blue Wayne County district; the PVI is D+22, the most Democratic district in the state. Democrats usually win with over 70% of the vote. Trump took 24.6% in 2020 and 28.4% last year. The multimillionaire incumbent, Shri Thanedar, scored just 68.6% last year, 3 points less than he scored when he was first elected in 2022. He spent $6,180,374 of his own money in 2022 and $5,305,400 of his own in 2024.

Thandar isn’t taken seriously by his colleagues in Congress, some of whom have already endorsed his opponent, Donavan McKinney, this year. He hasn’t accomplished anything for a district that needs a lot of help. McKinney is a sharp and a tack, energetic state legislator in the district and he’s working to replace Thanedar. And not by tiptoeing around the issues that separate them. Remember, McKinney is a Bernie-grade progressive and Thanedar is an establishment Democrat with no values that seem to motivate him. He’s an AIPAC-Democrat, which has turned off much of the Detroit base.

This is how McKinney presented the race on Friday: “The GOP's Big Sh*tty Bill will hurt working class communities like mine. Thousands of Detroiters are going to lose access to their healthcare, food assistance and homes. I wish my primary was about stopping this legislation, but that moment was lost by my entrenched incumbent who pandered to his millionaire Republican donors. Instead, this race is about determining what type of country we'll re-build when the time is ours. Are we going to continue to place our trust in the corrupt multi-millionaire who stood by as facism took hold? Or are we going to place our trust in a son of Detroit? Someone who grew up here, went to school here, and fights for our neighborhoods every day?”

Strong, right? It gets stronger: “I love Detroit. It's why my wife and I are raising our kids here. It's why I've built my career serving our communities in every way possible— I'm not going to hold back when it comes to making sure we're delivered what we're due when Democrats take back power. Shri is going to slow-walk any ounce of progress we hope to gain in order to preserve the status quo that enriched him.”

He means business and I am eager to see him Congress taking Republicans. He closed like this:

But together, our people-powered movement can ensure we have a Representative ready to get to work in repairing all the damage weak Democrats have allowed to occur.

And by weak Democrats, he certainly meant Shri Thanedar, the embodiment of everything broken in Democratic politics: a vanity candidate with a bloated bank account, no real ideology, and even less respect from his constituents and colleagues. He bought the seat— twice— with millions of dollars of personal cash, and yet still managed to underperform the Democratic baseline in the most Democratic district in Michigan. You can call that failure with a price tag.

Meanwhile, he’s done nothing that matters for Detroit— no transformative legislation, no bold stands, no leadership on the floor, in the community or on the issues that define the moment. Detroit didn’t send him to Congress to take selfies, fundraise from AIPAC or be a rubber stamp for corporate interests. But that’s all he’s delivered. And when it comes to the fight against fascism? Thanedar has been MIA. While the far right burns down democracy, he’s too busy cozying up to right-wing donors and auditioning for cable news clips. There’s no fire in his belly, no vision in his politics, and no trust left among the people he supposedly represents.

This isn't just about replacing a do-nothing seat-warmer. It’s about rejecting a transactional politics that sells out Detroit every chance it gets and it’s about Donavan McKinney, who isn’t just another politician— he’s a product of the district he was raised in, shaped by and ready to fight for. He brings the urgency this moment demands and the roots Thanedar never had. The choice in MI-13 couldn’t be clearer: a millionaire fraud trying to buy relevance, or a working-class fighter who’s earned the right to lead. Please consider contributing to Donavan’s campaign here.