Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar lost his reelection bid to a progressive challenger after two terms representing Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, the Associated Press projected Wednesday.
Thanedar, who admitted to NOTUS this week that he struggled to garner support from his congressional colleagues, was down by 4 percentage points to state Rep. Donavan McKinney with nearly all of the votes counted.
Thanedar conceded in a statement Wednesday, adding his name to the slate of incumbent Democrats who lost their primary to candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and other progressive groups.
“It was a tough election cycle and, in the end, the voters of the 13th District chose him to represent them moving forward,” Thanedar said of McKinney, a lifelong resident of Detroit.
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Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus also backed McKinney to represent the 13th District, an area with a large population of Black residents.
McKinney campaigned on “Medicare for All,” a Green New Deal and ending military aid to Israel — a topic that loomed over Democratic primaries in Michigan. McKinney previously told NOTUS he saw constituents’ economic struggles as inseparable from the federal government funding Israel’s attacks on Palestinians and working alongside Tel Aviv on a “war for no reason with Iran [that costs] $1 billion per day.”
“People around the country are just tired of status-quo politicians,” McKinney told NOTUS.
The DSA endorsed McKinney in July, saying he would “fight for strong union jobs, environmental justice and for universal childcare.”
Thanedar, a retired entrepreneur and scientist, largely self-funded his reelection campaign. He had picked up endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) and Cleo Fields (D-Louisiana).
When previously asked by NOTUS if he wished he had more congressional support, Thanedar said, “No, no, I have plenty.”
“It’s not like a high school,” Thanedar said. “I’m not trying to be the most popular member of Congress.”
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