Shri Thanedar

DETROIT, MI - State Rep. Donavan McKinney has unseated incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the close race just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5.

McKinney received nearly 52% of the vote. Thanedar received just over 48%

McKinney will face Republican T.P. Nykoriak in the Nov. 3 general election.

Nykoriak has unsuccessfully run for the Wayne County commission and sheriff’s seats, Michigan Senate and the Detroit police commission. His background includes a 16-month federal prison stint after he was convicted of illegally redeeming more than $70,000 in U.S. savings bonds that belonged to St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Thanedar was seeking a third term and had raised an estimated $5 million by March, according to federal campaign finance records.

McKinney has an estimated $459,000 on hand after raising more than $1 million during the election cycle.

In a statement emailed to MLive Wednesday, McKinney said he was grateful for the support.

He said the win shows “how the poorest district in the state can come together to defeat the corporate interests and multimillionaires.”

He said his primary campaign is roadmap for the Democratic Party to “move forward to defeat the fascism and divisiveness harming our country, and to deliver the leadership the Mighty 13th deserves.”

Thanedar made millions in the pharma industry and has spent millions on his campaign. FEC filings show he loaned his campaign had more than $2 million. FEC records show his campaign as $13 million in debt as of mid-July.

His campaign emphasized support for affordability, universal health care, abolishing ICE and impeaching President Donald Trump

He won a crowded Democratic primary in 2022 to become the first non-Black representative of the Detroit-based congressional district in roughly 70 years. He was endorsed for this year’s primary by U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Judy Chur and Rep. Ted Lieu, among others.

McKinney’s endorsements U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. District 12 Rep. Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, former U.S. Congress members Brenda Lawrence and Andy Levin, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who won his Democratic primary Tuesday against Rep. Haley Stevens.

McKinney’s campaign emphasized McKinney’s campaign decried millionaires in office and promoted living wages, union jobs, climate justice and getting big money out of politics, among other issues.

The 13th District is a Democratic stronghold. The district is completely in Wayne County, representing parts of Detroit, Allen Park, Ecorse, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Woods, Harper Woods, Highland Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Wyandotte, and Grosse Pointe Shores.