New York: U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Detroit won Tuesday's Democratic primary for the 13th Congressional District, defeating Detroit City Council member Mary Waters and former Detroit city employee Shakira Hawkins.
The primary victory is almost tantamount to Thanedar's reelection to a second term in the heavily Democratic district. He will face Republican Martell Bivings, a former business liaison with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., in November.
Thanedar defeated Bivings 71%-24% in 2022.
The 13th District is one of the poorest U.S. House districts in the nation and covers most of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes and several Downriver communities.
Thanedar, 69, who is Michigan's first Indian-American member of Congress, had a substantial fundraising advantage in the race. He loaned $1.45 million to his campaign and had $5.1 million in cash on hand, according to the most recent campaign financial reports.
Thanedar, who rose from poverty to become a self-made multimillionaire, has touted how his office has obtained $15 million for community projects and handled 1,600 citizen cases. He has been endorsed U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-New York.
