Two Democrats campaigning for a new state Senate district in Detroit and Downriver brought the debate to the parking lot on Monday in front of supporters and press.
Justin Onwenu and Abraham Aiyash are running in the newly created 1st State Senate district, up for grabs on Nov. 4. The winner of the Aug. 4 primary election will face a Republican in the general election. The area is a majority Democratic district.
On Monday night after the two participated in a candidate forum hosted by Detroit Action, Onwenu interrupted Aiyash’s interview to accuse him of using the war in Gaza in his campaign messaging for political gain.
Aiyash rejected the claim.
“When we met in the parking lot of Kitab (Cafe), he said there was a silver lining in what was going on, because people were not asking him about LGBTQ issues,” Onwenu said. “If we talk about moral clarity, when Hamtramck banned pride flags, unconstitutionally targeted members of his own community, (Aiyash) said nothing. When his own country was fallen into division over whether we would elect a fascist or whether we would elect the first Black woman president, (Aiyash) didn’t endorse her.”
The race between Aiyash and Onwenu features dynamics playing out across the country, where Black candidates are calling out their primary opponents for not openly supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in 2024.
Though Aiyash voted for Harris and says he helped launch a Muslim for Harris group that advocated for the Democratic nominee, he did not publicly endorse her.
Aiyash and his supporters criticized Onwenu for refusing to call the war in Gaza a genocide.
Onwenu has advocated for greater environmental protections as an organizer fighting water shutoffs. His job under former Mayor Mike Duggan and Mayor Mary Sheffield has aimed to improve access to capital for Detroit startups and small businesses through startup capital funds. He’s also taught labor law at Detroit Mercy School of Law.
The former Hamtramck representative was the highest ranking Arab American official in state history.
The winner of the race will reveal the attitudes of Detroit and Downriver Democratic voters on August 4.
James Ushery, 79, told Michigan Chronicle he’s known Justin for the last eight years.
“I think Justin is a down-to-Earth person, and has been through what the majority of this community is going through right now,” Ushery said. “I think his background speaks for itself.”
Dorian Bollard, a community advisory council member representing Detroit’s District 5, told Michigan Chronicle she’s still undecided and was looking to hear more from Onwenu before making a decision.
“I think they’re both on the same path, I think Abraham is very much more progressive in terms of working with Donavan and other folks who are running,” Bollard said. “I heard Justin speak at the Michigan Democratic Party convention at the Black Caucus. I know he’s got some main issues, but really just want those to be more solid before deciding.”
Sean Rossettano and his wife Molly Rossettano, who live near Rosa Parks and Claremont, told Michigan Chronicle Monday that they are supporting Aiyash.
“I’m tired personally of the Duggan machine still rearing inside of Detroit, and I’m seeing a PAC related to him sending mailers on behalf of Justin — for me that’s just a big turn off,” Rossettano said.
Detroit Next, which has paid for mailers on behalf of Onwenu, supported Mary Sheffield’s mayoral campaign. The 501(c)(4) nonprofit, referred to as “dark money” groups as donors remain secret.
“When you have a candidate who is being funded by Matty Moroun’s family and that is funded by the same billionaire family that paid Donald Trump off to keep the Gordie Howe Birdge closed, what are they actually going to fight for when they’re in power?” Aiyash said.
Onwenu during the forum accused Aiyash of being a hypocrite, as he’s accepted gifts and flights as a lawmaker.
“In my freshman year as a lawmaker, the State Innovation Exchange, a proggressive organization invited first time lawmakers to Washington D.C. to meet other Democratic state lawmakers,” Aiyash said. “Yes, they paid for the flight, yes they covered the hotel — we were not being lobbied.”
State Rep. Tyrone Carter, who is supporting Onwenu, told Michigan Chronicle he’s been disappointed that he hasn’t heard from Aiyash, who moved into the district ahead of his run for Senate.
“How do you move from Hamtramck, and run in my district?” Carter said. “You could have ran in District 3. Stephanie Chang is District 3 — but they knew that (Aiyash) couldn’t win, and they figured they’d get a black female from the Rashida (Tlaib) camp to run in District 3. Let’s call this for what it is — everybody hit Duggan in the mouth for having somebody in every race, but they’re silent on this.”
