Elected officials and local business leaders in Detroit are staying quiet about their controversial colleague’s Detroit City Council race in District 7.
State Rep. Karen Whitsett’s colleagues in the state House did not respond to messages asking to address her chronic absenteeism, or whether they have a preference as to who’s elected to the west side council seat.
A Detroit News report published Sunday found that Whitsett has been absent from 51 of the 66 House session days this year, meaning she’s missed 77% of session days where attendance was taken.
“People want to hold me accountable,” Whitsett said in an interview with Michigan Chronicle on Monday. “I’ve been there 23% of the time, which means there was 23% of the time quality votes. I’m not driving there for a resolution or to name a freeway. What good is that doing for my district? To check in and show that I exist? To me that’s not work. My work is here in the district.”
Whitsett on Monday explained her vote for a Republican budget proposal, said she spoke to White House about getting federal funds to Detroit, and talked about her independent political identity in a 35-minute phone call with a Michigan Chronicle reporter.
Establishment stays out of District 7 race
The Chronicle reached out to statewide officials who represent Detroit in the House via email and phone, including Reps. Joe Tate, Stephanie Young, and Tyrone Carter (who is also running for Detroit City Council in District 6) asking to address Whitsett’s chronic absenteeism, or whether they have a preference as to who’s elected to the west side council seat.
Carter responded saying he would comment, but couldn’t be reached before publication of this article. No one else responded.
Business leaders with the Detroit Regional Chamber are also staying quiet on the race.
District 7, along with District 5, was one of two competitive Detroit City Council races in which the chamber did not make an endorsement.
“It’s just a matter of there was no consensus from the Chamber PAC board for either candidate, so there was no endorsement,” Brian Shoaf, the vice president of public policy for the Chamber, said in a statement through a spokesperson.
In District 5, candidate Renata Miller, a controversial figure to Indian Village residents who barred her from returning as a member to their neighborhood association faces Willie Burton, who has had his own attendance issues as a board of police commissioner.
The chamber’s PAC previously endorsed Whitsett during her run for reelection in 2020, when her top focus was bringing reform to the state’s auto insurance law and improving public education.
Whitsett’s opponent on Nov. 4 is Denzel McCampbell, the managing director of Progress Michigan and former aide to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. McCampbell raised more money than any council candidate from individual donors across the country thanks in part to his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
McCampbell who says he would bring fresh leadership to council to meet people’s needs, is a member of the Metro Detroit DSA chapter.
Whitsett didn’t raise any money from individuals, rather collecting donations from the Dan Gilbert connected Rock Holdings Inc. PAC, the Michigan Health Access Alliance and the Associated Builders and Contractors PAC.
Whitsett raised $22,000 from Jan. 1 to July 20, compared to McCampbell’s $92,032.
DSA part of hesitancy to support McCampbell
Council member Fred Durhal III, the current councilman in District 7, won the early support of business leaders at the Chamber PAC ahead of the August primary for his unsuccessful mayoral campaign. He told Michigan Chronicle last month that he isn’t endorsing because he doesn’t want to influence the race for one side.
“It’s nothing about him or even about her — he came out above her by 60 votes,” Durhal said. “I think both bring something — legislative experience and connecting with Lansing is important. Denzel, I know is going to show up, but it’s a learning curve. We’re coming into a situation in January with a new mayor, and you’re going to have new members on council. There is still work to be done, and so it’s about who’s going to have the best shot to deliver some of the things that my district needs instead of just speaking rhetoric. I think the voters in my district are smart enough.”
The leader of a Democratic Party group that endorsed McCampbell says his Democratic Socialist identity may be part of the reason why most Democrats and business leaders aren’t endorsing him, despite the fourth-term Democrat’s shoddy attendance and inconsistent voting record.
“Denzel has shown himself to be a strong progressive and some people don’t understand how that benefits everyone — they’re scared of what they don’t understand,” says Jonathan Kinloch, the chair of the 13th District Democratic Party. “Karen has shown herself to be unhinged in many instances. You can’t predict what she’s going to do from moment to moment.”
Whitsett has broken with Democrats on issues such as COVID-19 treatments, abortion and paid sick leave.
Her presence in the office of Republican leader Rep. Matt Hall during the final hours of House session under Democratic control last year was the subject of criticism from Rev. Horace Sheffield last week. The former union leader and father of mayoral front runner Mary Sheffield blamed Whitsett at a candidate forum he hosted for tanking a number of bills that would have benefited Detroit residents.
Sheffield called the west side state representative “delusional” after she said his church wouldn’t have made it through the pandemic without her help getting new refrigerators for his congregation.
Read more: Whitsett’s Absence Felt at District 7 Candidate Forum
Kinloch told Michigan Chronicle Monday that while the organization typically endorses sitting Democratic office holders, Whitsett’s record in the state Legislature created a resounding pushback to her council candidacy from district party members, who are responsible for the endorsement.
“Denzel is someone who is doubling down on listening to what the people want,” Kinloch said. “They want government to respond to the issue of poverty by using government resources in ways that will close the disparity gaps… It scares the traditional organizations that think he will get into office and at a very challenging economic time will call for spending money that might not be there for big public programs.”
One statewide official from Detroit who has endorsed McCampbell is Sen. Stephanie Chang. McCampbell worked for Chang as a campaign manager in 2014. She’s raised money and gone door knocking to help her former employee’s campaign.
Chang is also supporting Detroit City Council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who has been the the loudest voice against ICE carrying out deportations, mainly in her District 6, which covers Southwest Detroit.
“He will not only show up, he will solve problems and fight hard for us,” Chang said of McCampbell.
Whitsett: Votes with Republicans meant to help Detroit residents
Whitsett did show up to session to vote with Republicans on a budget proposal that called for gutting millions from Detroit.
She made more line item budget requests than any lawmaker for projects that would mostly benefit Detroit residents, saying her vote was strategic.
Whitsett claims there would have been zero state dollars going toward Detroit had she not voted with Republicans.
“If I didn’t vote that out of the House, when were negotiations going to start?” Whitsett said. “If you don’t have something to negotiate on, how does that happen? It’s insane to me that people want to hold me accountable, and want to say, ‘Oh, she can contact the president. We have (U.S. Reps.) Debbie, Rashida and Shri — you tell me which one of them can get you anything from Trump? I sent a text to the president, who was alerted, and said I need to speak with him today, or to someone who can help me. We went back and forth over needing to talk to the speaker or the governor. When I get a no, it’s not going to be from the House speaker, it’s going to be from the president.”
Whitsett took responsibility for the money in the budget coming to Detroit, saying a number of her earmarks ultimately were allocated by requests from Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit.
“I had to call the White House — we were getting nothing. Not even public safety trust was going to come through the senate. I got $5 million for water because I called the president.”
Whitsett said that she made attempts to call the president in an effort to ensure resources made it to the 90,000 residents in Northwest Detroit as part of the 4th House District.
“The president (Trump) is concerned about public safety — I need him to show it,” Whitsett said. “I don’t mean sending troops here, we need funding for not only the public safety trust fund, but to fund departments that tell me they need drones.”
District 7 manager Alexia Davis said earlier this year she expected Whitsett to be elected to replace Durhal due to the relationships she’s built operating in the area for many years. She won 98% of votes vast without a Republican challenger last November.
Prior to being elected, Whitsett ran a pest control business out of her home for 10 years and served in various roles as a community organizer and activist.
In an interview over the phone Monday, Whitsett said she views the growing polarization of the country as a battle between good and evil, “and I’d rather be closer to the bible than to Satan,” she says.
She pointed to the demonization of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, whose assassin reportedly believed Kirk’s hateful comments had gone too far.
Whitsett says Kirk was not a racist.
“People say things about people that shouldn’t be said. Like Trump talking about how Kamala wasn’t Black. He wasn’t the only person saying that, but he shouldn’t be the one saying it,” she said. “If there’s a stadium filled with hundreds of thousands, and the millions of people watching around the world who were praying to God at the same time, and you find something wrong with that, you’re sick and soulless,” she said of those critical of Kirk’s memorial event at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Whitsett, who calls herself a “common sense” politician, said Monday that she’s tired of Black voters siding with Democratic Party candidates who don’t prioritize the needs of Black residents.
“I want people to earn our support and respect,” she said. “The only thing Democrats do is talk about what Republicans are doing,” Whitsett said. “Black people are the only people who don’t have to earn our vote. People get elected and become these pawns. I’m not concerned about my position, the Democratic or Republican party, I’m not concerned about who like me — I’m here to get a job done and ensure people get serviced.”
