Detroit could regain Black voice in Congress with Thanedar's tumble in 13th District race

DETROIT (AP) — Asked about his choice for Congress minutes after casting his ballot in Detroit, Michael Fuqua struggled to come up with a name.

"Dillinger. I think it was Daniel," Fuqua replied Tuesday afternoon outside Henry Ford High School on the city's northwest side. But Fuqua was much clearer about who didn't get his vote. "Not Shri, definitely not him."

The candidate that Fuqua chose was state Rep. Donavan McKinney, and he defeated Shri Thanedar, an incumbent who was seeking his third consecutive term representing the 13th Congressional District.

McKinney's win almost assures that Detroit, a majority Black city, will have its first Black representative in Congress since 2022. He will face Republican Taras Nykoriak in the November general election in a district that votes overwhelming Democrat.

"This is a very diverse district, but it encompasses the Blackest major city in all of America," McKinney told reporters Wednesday. "We cannot forget what Detroit means, not only to our city and our state, but to the world."

McKinney is positioning himself as a candidate who can bridge divides between different communities.

"It's not just about restoring Black leadership, this is about restoring the right leadership," he said.

Fuqua said he voted for McKinney because Thanedar "has no idea what Black people have been dealing with."

"He's probably a good guy, but he has not had the Black experience," Fuqua said.

Bernie Henderix, 58, has never voted for Thanedar and also cast his ballot Tuesday for McKinney who he's been "hearing some good things" about.

Henderix said having Black representation in Congress is important "but I want the best person I think is going to represent us the right way."

Thanedar said on X that he congratulated McKinney and offered him "full cooperation and a smooth transition."

Seen by some on Capitol Hill as a bit unconventional, Thanedar introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in April 2025 — years after Trump was twice impeached in the House during his first term only to acquitted by the U.S. Senate.

Thanedar started and sold a chemical-testing lab for $20 million. He spent millions on an unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial primary before being elected in 2020 to the state Legislature. The following year he announced plans to run for Congress, eyeing the 13th District that covers a good chunk of the Motor City.

Thanedar took the 2022 Democratic primary in a crowded field which split the vote. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American who previously represented the 13th district, shifted to the 12th after the state redrew its congressional map.

Before Thanedar and Tlaib won their races that year, Detroit had not been without a Black representative in Congress since before Charles Diggs Jr. took office in 1955. Diggs was joined in Congress in 1965 by Democrat John Conyers, who retained his congressional seat for more than 50 years.

Thanedar also would win the 2024 Democratic primary after an elections official ruled that a top challenger's name could not appear on the ballot because too few valid signatures had been submitted.

McKinney, who was endorsed by influential progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and several Detroit-area state lawmakers, has argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress.

In a campaign ad for the just concluded primary, McKinney said Thanedar "spent millions to buy a seat in Congress" and "has more in common with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than people like us," while pointing to himself.

"Shri came down to Earth," said Adolph Mongo, a Detroit-based political commentator and former political consultant. Mongo said Thanedar did little for Black people in Detroit during his four years in Congress.

"He didn't even have an agenda," Mongo said.

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Associated Press writer Jacqueline GaNun contributed to this report.