With the General Election quickly approaching, Democratic candidate Shri Thanedar or Republican hopeful Martell Bivings will make history with a victory in the 13th Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 8. While Thanedar’s and Bivings’ reasons for running for Congress go beyond making history, nevertheless, a win by either candidate in the 13th will be a first on several fronts.
If voters elect Thanedar, favored in the heavily populated Democratic district, he will be the first Indian-American “born outside of the United States” to represent Detroit – a major Black city – in Congress. If Bivings is victorious, he will be the first Black Republican ever elected to represent the Motor City in Congress.
The now reconfigured 13th District – once called “The Mighty 13th – consists of parts of Detroit, along with Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, all of the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor and Wayne. Just above 45 percent of the District is comprised of Black citizens.
While Bivings is the presumptive underdog in the race, according to most local political pundits, he is actively campaigning to prove to voters that he is the best candidate to represent them in Congress. And for all of the talk generated over the last six months about Detroit potentially having no Black Representation in Congress since the mid-1950s when it convenes in January 2023, Bivings, a native Detroiter, says – not so fast!
“I am talking to as many people in the district as possible,” Bivings told the Michigan Chronicle. “I am going door-to-door, reaching voters through social media and attending events. I’m going wherever the people are and introducing myself. And I’m listening to them talk about their needs and wants in the 13th District, and I’m talking with them about how I’m best suited to meet their needs and wants in Congress.”
Bivings said that the people he meets on the campaign trail are mostly concerned about issues rooted in education and the economy. He said that talks about abortion rights, which will be on the November ballot, have not been at the forefront of people’s conversations with him.
With a heavily African American population of voters in the 13th, Bivings knows he can help empower them.
“From a Black Republican perspective, I’m going to write and craft policies that better position Black people to climb the economic ladder,” Bivings said. “I will write policies that help struggling families. When you have experienced the struggle like I did, growing up in Detroit, you can identify why there is a struggle and through that experience craft policy and pass laws that help people.”
Thanedar, however, sees himself as the best candidate for Congress and the real champion for Black and other underserved populations in the District.
“I am honored and thankful that the people of Detroit have put their trust in me with their votes for the third time now,” said Thanedar. “I got the most votes in Detroit during the Democratic Primary Election for governor in 2018. I’ve won a State House of Representatives seat in the 3rd House District, which is 90 percent Black. And I won Detroit in the last Primary Election.”
Thanedar believes that he has earned Black voters’ trust because he has always listened and talked with them about the critical issues facing Detroiters.
“I’ve had hundreds if not thousands of conversations with Black people in communities across the city about the issues they face, but I never, ever had people talk or be against me because of my race,” Thanedar said. “I believe people’s focus is on electing someone who can and will get things done to improve their day to day lives. I can relate based on my experience as an immigrant who grew up poor and faced discrimination.”
Thanedar added, “By no means am I saying my experience equates with the generations of racism that African Americans have experienced – there is no comparison,” he said. “But I do understand the struggles of working families. I understand what discrimination has done to the Black community. I know how racism has robbed Black people from achieving the American dream.”
Bivings questions Thanedar’s ability to help Black people. And the Republican candidate said that he feels that many Black people have been conditioned to automatically vote for Democrats, who have taken Black voters for granted for decades. But now is a time for a change.
“It’s a beautiful paradigm that we find ourselves in for the General Election because it’s an opportunity for Black people to wake up and for the first time in Michigan in a Congressional General Election race, look at a Republican candidate, who is Black and from Detroit,” said Bivings, adding that many Democrats – pastors, elected officials and community leaders – have reached out to guide him in his bid for Congress since the Primary Election.”
When asked if Donald Trump has endorsed him for Congress, if he can win without the former President’s support, and if he even wants Trump’s endorsement, Bivings was emphatic with his answer.
“Donald Trump has not endorsed me, and I am not seeking his endorsement,” said Bivings, a graduate of Cody High School and Howard University. “And I don’t know if I want his endorsement. Donald Trump’s endorsement would probably mean a lot of money coming into the campaign to allow me to reach more voters. Yet, his endorsement could potentially hurt me. I have people telling me if I get his endorsement, they won’t vote for me. I can win without a Donald Trump endorsement.”
Bivings said he wants to debate Thanedar soon, which will help voters see the contrasting positions of both candidates.
“I’ve texted him asking for a debate, but he hasn’t responded,” Bivings said. “He really doesn’t want to debate the issues because he thinks that he already has the votes of Black people because of loyalty to the Democratic Party.”
Thanedar said that he’s not dodging a debate with Bivings.
“I’d be happy with such a debate,” Thanedar said. “It’s important that voters hear the fundamental differences between the two candidates. There’s some talk about the logistics to make that happen.”
In conclusion, Bivings said, “If voters want Black representation from Detroit to continue in Congress, there’s a pathway to take by voting for me. I’m from Detroit, and I will write policies that will empower all people in the 13th Congressional District.”
“It’s about creating opportunities for people to advance, regardless of their color, which excites me,” Thanedar said. “It’s one of the reasons why I gave up my very lucrative business and decided to devote the rest of my life to public service. I am dedicated to racial, social and economic equity and justice for all.”
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