Democratic primary voters ousted Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan on Tuesday night, according to The Associated Press (AP).
The primary nominated Donavan McKinney, a state representative, in the 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Detroit and its suburbs, where he is "a democratic socialist for a deep-blue district in the latest sign of the party’s hunger for new blood", said The New York Times.
The primary also highlighted Democratic voters’ continued backlash against lawmakers who support Israel. McKinney has condemned the Israeli war on Gaza as a “genocide” and campaigned with fellow pro-Palestinian Democrats, including Dr Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate in Michigan’s marquee Senate race. Mr Thanedar, in contrast, has consistently voted to fund aid for the Zionist state.
While Thanedar had the endorsement of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, McKinney secured the backing of several other members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has spearheaded a string of insurgent Democratic primary victories.
Thanedar was the latest pro-Israel Democrat to fall to a challenge from the left. This summer, Representatives Diana DeGette of Colorado, Dan Goldman of New York, and Adriano Espaillat of New York were all defeated by more progressive challengers who were fueled by strong organization by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
On the campaign trail, McKinney emphasized his difficult upbringing in Northeast Detroit and skewered Thanedar for accepting donations from corporate political action committees (PACs). He also said that deaths of his friends and family from gun violence pushed him to advocate community interventions as a state representative, according to The New York Times.
Because of the district’s overwhelming Democratic lean, McKinney is heavily favoured to win in November, per The New York Times. He celebrated his primary victory as proof that “the power of the people” could overcome spending from “corporate interests.” A crypto industry PAC, Protect Progress, spent more than $2 million on Thanedar’s behalf, according to campaign finance filings.
“This is only the beginning,” McKinney said in a news release. “Our next chapter starts in January, where I will work tirelessly, as I have my whole career, fighting for every resident of my district.”
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