In 13th District, Shri Thanedar faces different primary challenge than expected

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, will try to fend off an effort to unseat him as he seeks a second term in his Detroit-based congressional district. But it isn't the one that many voters expected or that some top Democrats wanted.

Several months ago, prominent Democrats coalesced around former state Sen. Adam Hollier's campaign to challenge Thanedar. But when Hollier filed petitions rife with fraud and errors — knocking him off the ballot — others threw their support behind At-Large Detroit City Council Member Mary Waters .

Thanedar isn't the only congressional incumbent in Michigan facing challengers in the upcoming Aug. 6 primary. But no other current member of the state's congressional delegation has faced such robust opposition from within their own party.

Michigan's 13th Congressional District encompasses some of the poorest cities in Wayne County such as Highland Park and includes some of the county's wealthiest areas such as the Grosse Pointes. But this socioeconomically diverse district is bright blue, and the Democratic primary is all but guaranteed to decide Thanedar's fate.

In addition to Waters, Thanedar also faces a primary challenge from attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins.

While the 13th District is not majority-Black, Black residents make up the largest voting bloc. Thanedar's election in 2022 — along with the reelection of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit — marked the first time in nearly 70 years Detroit wasn't represented by a Black member of Congress. Some faith leaders and Democratic politicians have said they want to see Black representation restored for the district. Both Thanedar's primary opponents are Black.

Foreign policy has also emerged as one of the biggest dividing lines in the race with the pro-Israel lobby supporting Thanedar. His opponents have said they support a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Thanedar faces smaller primary field this time

Thanedar is a self-made millionaire who became rich through entrepreneurial ventures in chemical testing. An Indian immigrant who rose from poverty, Thanedar has repeatedly recounted the economic hardships he faced to connect with voters in the 13th District.

"Shri Thanedar fights for working people because he knows what it's like to struggle," reads a mailer his campaign recently sent out. In it, he promises to fight for lower prescription drug costs, union jobs, investments in skills training and social safety net benefits.

Thanedar serves on the Homeland Security and Small Business committees. He is the ranking member on the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation & Maritime Security.

Beyond his policy platform and official congressional duties, Thanedar has tried to cultivate a distinct political style while in office. His viral social media posts have attracted national attention such as one with a photo of his office — Suite 420 — shared on April 20 last year, a cannabis-themed holiday. "Just a friendly reminder to celebrate responsibly and always remember to pass it to the left, just like we do in Congress," he wrote .

At this year's NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, Thanedar made a point of leaving his banquet table to greet attendees and take selfies, saying that's where he'd rather be than on an elevated stage for politicians.

Thanedar has largely relied on his own wealth to fund his campaign, loaning himself $4.8 million this cycle along with investment income, according to his campaign finance filing for the reporting period that ended June 30. But he has also used funds from his congressional office to make sure voters know who he is. For voters in the district, it's hard to turn on the radio, watch TV or open the mailbox without coming across his name. He has defended the spending as an effective way to ensure voters can identify their member of Congress after the first election held under a new set of congressional districts in 2022.

In that race, he emerged from a crowded nine-candidate field in the Democratic primary. While he narrowly won a plurality of the vote in Detroit, he won every single Downriver precinct in the district. But it's in Detroit where he set up a community center on the city's west side with his face on the building with a mural that reads, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It was vandalized earlier this year, with the words "ceasefire" and "racist" written on the building.

While in office, Thanedar has drawn the ire of some of his fellow Democrats, who have blasted his constituent services as poor. Thanedar has pushed back on those allegations, most notably with an extensive report that aims to defend his track record on that front.

It's not the only time Thanedar has fractured with his political allies. Last fall, he voiced unequivocal support for Israel as it waged a counteroffensive in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attack. He quit the Democratic Socialists of America after he said the group didn't sufficiently condemn Hamas' attack.

Mary Waters: The 'quiet storm'

When she launched her campaign, Waters emphasized her support for a cease-fire in the war. Her position has won the support of some Democratic politicians. State Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, described her as an anti-war candidate, and state Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, gave a one-word answer when asked why he supports Waters: "cease-fire."

Waters has run for Congress three times previously. In 2008 and 2012, she lost her Democratic congressional races. In 2018, she was disqualified from running in the primary to serve out the remainder of Rep. John Conyers Jr.'s term after he resigned.

This time, she has the support of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and a majority of Detroit City Council Members.

"Our future is in Washington and we need somebody in Congress who fights for us. And right now, I don't feel like we got any help from our congressman," Duggan said when he announced his endorsement of Waters. But she's at a serious fundraising disadvantage compared with Thanedar, who reported over $5 million cash on hand as of June 30 compared with Waters' roughly $20,000, according to their July quarterly campaign finance filings.

She was elected as an At-Large Member of the Council in 2021. Before serving in local government, she served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. While in Lansing, she introduced legislation to expunge certain criminal offenses from the public record, a policy that ultimately passed after she was term-limited out of the chamber.

In 2010, she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for filing a fraudulent tax return, a charge that stemmed from an investigation into a suspected conspiracy to bribe a Southfield City Councilmember. Sam Riddle — a political consultant for Waters' congressional campaign — pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, a felony. When asked about her guilty plea, Waters said Detroiters "have rendered a verdict" during a Free Press Editorial Board interview.

"They elected me because once they remembered who I am what I’m all about and the fact that they know that they can depend on me to fight for them not to go into position and enrich myself," she said.

While serving on council, Waters has advocated for affordable housing. She led the recent effort to start a city commission to represent renters aimed at reducing evictions and ensuring safe housing conditions. If elected, she has vowed to continue making housing a priority, along with infrastructure investments in the 13th District.

Waters said her colleagues in Lansing when she served in the state Legislature nicknamed her "the quiet storm." If voters send her to D.C. she vowed to be a humble but tireless advocate for her constituents. "I'm not too proud to say that I don't know everything. So I'm going to be counting on various communities to tell me what they need," she said at the Duggan endorsement event.

Michigan Voter Guide Key Races

Shakira Lynn Hawkins

Hawkins — a native Detroiter — said she didn't see a candidate that would embody her values running to represent the 13th District, so she decided to run. She also said one of the reasons she decided to run was to ensure Detroit has Black representation in Congress. "The only way to make change is actually to get in there and you know help ourselves basically because no one’s going to come to rescue us," she said during a Free Press Editorial Board interview.

She accused Thanedar of wasting taxpayer dollars on commercials and billboards promoting himself, calling it money that should be spent in the community. She said she would try to bring in more dollars to the district to address housing affordability, making sure housing developments are accessible and not just for wealthy residents in Detroit's Downtown and Midtown areas. She has listed supporting labor unions, fighting climate change and tackling gun violence among her top priorities.

She has a background working as a public defender and for the city of Detroit’s law department on its blight litigation team. She was recently fired from her job with the city's law department because she was told her congressional campaign posed a legal conflict for her federally-funded position, according to Hawkins. She has sought legal advice on the matter.

Like Waters, Hawkins is critical of Israeli military actions in Gaza and supports a cease-fire.

Hawkins' campaign reported $250 cash on hand as of the most recent reporting period that ended June 30. She also appears to have lent her campaign about $15,000, according to her July quarterly report.

The winner of the 13th District's Democratic primary will face Republican Martell Bivings in the general election. He's the lone Republican on the primary ballot. Bivings previously worked for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation — a quasi-public economic development organization — as a business liaison, according to his campaign website . He supports former President Donald Trump's reelection bid.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In 13th District, Shri Thanedar faces different primary challenge than expected