Democratic Socialist challenger Donavan McKinney won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 13th Congressional District Wednesday.
McKinney, a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, won 51.9% to 48.1% with all precincts reporting, ousting 2-term U.S. Congressman Shri Thanedar.
The 13th District is located within Wayne County and includes portions of Detroit and some of its suburbs. The Cook Political Report rates the district as solidly Democratic, so McKinney is expected to have a strong advantage in the upcoming midterms. He will face Republican nominee T.P. Nykoriak.
Both Thanedar and McKinney ran as anti–President Donald Trump candidates backing progressive priorities, including universal health care, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ending the war in Iran.
However, McKinney pushed to the left of Thanedar, advocating to end military aid and arms to Israel and opposing corporate money in politics. He gained backing from prominent progressives like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and U.S. Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
Thanedar ran as a progressive in 2022 but split with the Democratic Socialists of America in 2023 and has since rebranded himself around strong support for Israel.
The race was called by the Associated Press at 9:55 a.m.
