A Black man from Detroit will represent it in Congress once again.
McKinney’s primary win means that Detroit, a majority Black and Democratic city, will have its first Black representative in Congress since 2022.
Republican Taras Nykoriak will face McKinney, a Democratic state House member, in the November general election. In 2016, Nykoriak was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for stealing U.S. savings bonds from a church.
Thanedar had long faced criticism from members of the Democratic Party and beyond for what many perceived as lack luster constituent services. He also faced scrutiny for the way he was elected, self funding his campaign in one of the state’s poorest districts.
Thanedar says his office helped resolve 4,300 constituent cases and secured $45 million in funding for projects districtwide.
Thanedar said that voters didn’t care that he wasn’t Black, but local insiders believe it’s what pushed McKinney past him on Election Day.
Detroit saw a near 70 year stretch with Black representation in Congress. From 1955 to 2022, Detroit’s congressional delegation included at least one Black member. Since 2023 the majority Black city has been represented by Thanedar, an Indian American, and Palestinian American Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Tlaib, who backed McKinney over Thanedar, was also a vocal critic. She once said in a statement that she was helping residents in the 13th Congressional District who were unable to reach Thanedar. Tlaib represents the 12th Congressional District.
McKinney’s victory came despite a significant cash advantage for Thanedar. The Detroit state rep. posted $142,853 in cash on hand, compared to Thanedar’s $5 million.
McKinney held a press conference at Mayflower Church on Curtis Avenue in Detroit the day after the election.
“This is about the many versus the money,” McKinney said. “This is about people versus the profits.”
The Democratic nominee said one of his first acts in Congress will be to attempt to overturn the Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Working Families Party national director Maurice Mitchell came to Detroit in the days leading up to the election to stump for McKinney’s campaign. Mitchell’s organization, which supports progressive Democrats, endorsed McKinney.
“When it happens in Detroit, when it happens all over this state, we will, as a people, have defeated the interests of APAC, AI, crypto, DTE and the establishment inside the Democratic Party and the Republican Party,” Mitchell said.
National political activist Linda Sasour was another out of town surrogate who spoke about what some are hoping to see from McKinney in Washington D.C.
“When Donovan McKinney is in Congress, he’s going to vote for the issues that impact us here,” Sasour said. “He’s going to reappropriate those resources to where it’s needed most here, and he’s going to say no to bombs, to weapons that kill Black and brown people across the world.”
Thanedar has stayed relatively quiet in the days since the election. In a statement, he congratulated McKinney for his victory.
“It was a tough election cycle and, in the end, the voters of the 13th District chose him to represent them moving forward,” Thanedar said. “I look forward to serving out the remainder of my term and wish Representative McKinney the best.”
Thanedar is a millionaire businessman whose net worth is projected at over $30 million. In 2022, his self funded campaign defeated several Black candidates to win the Democratic nomination for the seat.
For his most recent campaign, he received $154,673.60 from individual donors, but 60% of those funds came from donations of $2,000 or higher.
