The Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th District U.S. House seat is more than 12 months away, but campaign fundraising reports are painting an early picture of how the next year could play out.
Former state Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, reported raising nearly $300,000 in his first 11 weeks in the race for Detroit’s House seat, outpacing all other candidates, including self-funded incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, during the reporting period. He raised $277,300 with $358,300 in his campaign war chest, records show
The latest Federal Election Commission reporting period ended July 15.
State Rep. Donavan McKinney, who is also challenging Thanedar, reported a total just behind Hollier, bringing in $272,141, spending $55,462. McKinney reported a total of $216,678, campaign finance records show.
Thanedar reported $7.8 million on hand, but didn’t report how much he raised in the reporting period.
“This gives us the power to communicate with voters across every neighborhood in the district,” Thanedar said in a statement. “We’re making sure people know we’re fighting for them whether it’s standing up to Trump or solving problems right here at home.”
Thanedar ended the last period with $6.1 million cash on hand, with a net loss of $730K because his campaign funds are invested in cryptocurrency. He reported $1.7 million in investment income, with just $32,000 of that coming from non crypto sources. Campaign records show more than $11 million in debts owed by his campaign. Which means he loaned personal money to his campaign
“While people are struggling to pay the bills, Rep. Thanedar has spent his time in Congress spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on billboards promoting himself across the district,” Hollier said in a statement. “It’s no wonder the people of this district had no interest in kicking in more of their hard earned money to support Shri’s ongoing vanity project.”
Hollier earned the support of Detroit and Wayne County establishment during his unsuccessful run for the same seat in 2022, including endorsements from well-known faith leaders, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. His campaign was ended by the Wayne County Elections Department after it was found Hollier’s campaign submitted forged and invalid signatures in his petition sheets.
McKinney, who has earned the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders for his progressive values, has accused Thanedar of having more in common with President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk than his own constituents. A claim Thanedar has denied.
Much has been made by political insiders about how Thanedar successfully ended Detroit’s 70 year stretch of Black representation in Congress. Many felt like the long list of Black candidates during Thanedar’s first run split the votes.
“I think what Detroit’s Black political establishment or Democratic Party has to grapple with, is that you have to ask why is Shri Thanedar able to exist and take up the space he does? This is not a slight to him… But his presence begs a question of how and why?” John Conyers III told Michigan Chronicle Wednesday. Conyers was among the Black candidates who ran for the seat that was long held by his late father.
“It can’t just be about money that he’s winning. There’s a value proposition — simply saying Detroit deserves Black representation is insufficient.”
Detroit City Council member Mary Waters came the closest to unseating Thanedar. In 2024, Thanedar received 55% of the vote with Waters taking 34%.
It was reported later on by Bridge Michigan that AIPAC connected dark money groups spent millions in attack ad mailers against Waters.
The same groups will be paying close attention to next year’s Democratic primary, as McKinney has been a vocal critic of the indiscriminate killing of children and civilians in Gaza.
“Centering community not only means standing up to corporate donors and lobbyists but also means fighting to address community needs through robust community services and responsive representation,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit said in her endorsement of McKinney. “This type of leadership is missing for residents in the 13th and I know Donavan will bring it… I know when it comes to real representation, Michigan’s 13th District deserves better.”
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