McKinney Upsets Thanedar in 13th District

State Rep. Donavan McKinney defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press and other election trackers. The AP results page showed McKinney leading by 3.8 percentage points with 99% of the estimated vote counted, and Michigan Advance reported unofficial returns of 51.9% for McKinney to 48.1% for Thanedar. (michiganadvance.com) McKinney now becomes the Democratic nominee in a Detroit-area district that election handicappers rate as solidly Democratic. (apnews.com) The primary was held on August 4, and the general election is scheduled for November 3. ### How big was the upset over Shri Thanedar? Shri Thanedar was a sitting member of Congress seeking another term when McKinney beat him in the August 4 primary. (clickondetroit.com) Ballotpedia’s district page and AP’s Michigan results page both listed McKinney as the winner, while local outlets said the race was called on Wednesday morning as votes continued to be counted. Michigan Advance reported that the AP called the race for McKinney at 9:55 a.m. Wednesday. The same report said unofficial results with 99% of votes counted put McKinney at 51.9% and Thanedar at 48.1%. (apnews.com) ### Who is Donavan McKinney? Donavan McKinney is a Democratic state representative from Detroit who challenged Thanedar from the left and built support with progressive elected officials. Michigan Advance identified him as a current state lawmaker, and Ballotpedia listed him as the Democratic challenger who won the primary. (ballotpedia.org) Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib and several members of the Congressional Black Caucus backed McKinney, according to Michigan Advance. The outlet said his endorsers included Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Summer Lee, while Thanedar had support from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (michiganadvance.com) ### What did McKinney and Thanedar say after the race? McKinney said in a statement carried by Michigan Advance, “Detroit, I am honored beyond measure to be your Democratic nominee to represent the Mighty 13th in Congress.” He added that “our movement has shown them a fighter is what they truly deserve in Washington.” (michiganadvance.com) Thanedar said on Facebook, according to Michigan Advance, “It was a tough election cycle and, in the end, the voters of the 13th District chose him to represent them moving forward.” He said he would serve out the rest of his term and pointed to “over 4300 constituent cases” and “$45 million in funding for projects” during his time in office. (michiganadvance.com) ### Which communities are in the 13th District? Michigan’s 13th Congressional District includes parts of Detroit and nearby communities including Allen Park, Hamtramck, Romulus and Wyandotte, Michigan Advance reported. The seat is one of the Detroit area’s Democratic strongholds, which is why the primary winner enters the fall campaign with an advantage. (michiganadvance.com) Ballotpedia’s race page said the Cook Political Report rates the district Solid Democratic, while DDHQ/The Hill and Sabato’s Crystal Ball also place it in the safe or solid Democratic column. That makes the Democratic nominee the front-runner for November, based on those nonpartisan race ratings. (michiganadvance.com) ### What happens next before November? November 3, 2026, is the date of the general election for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. ClickOnDetroit’s election page said McKinney advances to the general election, and Ballotpedia’s district page lists November 3 as the next contest on the calendar. (michiganadvance.com) AP’s results page still showed 99% of the estimated vote counted as of its August 5 update, so local officials may continue to update the unofficial tally before certification. McKinney, as the Democratic nominee, will now head into the fall campaign for a seat covering Detroit and several downriver communities. (apnews.com) (clickondetroit.com) (ballotpedia.org)