Rep. Shri Thanedar has lost his Democratic primary in Michigan to state Rep. Donavan McKinney, NBC News projects, in a victory for the party’s progressive wing.
The 34-year-old McKinney won the backing of a number of prominent progressives across the state and country and secured the latest victory for the faction mounting an insurgency against the Democratic establishment.
But the swirl of unique dynamics in the Detroit-area seat makes the victory more complicated than some of the other progressive primary wins so far this election cycle.
McKinney, a 34-year-old state lawmaker and democratic socialist, is running on a progressive platform including “Medicare for All” and putting new restrictions on military aid to Israel, while pushing massive investments in sectors such as clean energy and housing.
Thanedar narrowly won the seat in 2022 after self-funding his campaign, but he has faced his share of scrutiny since. Thanedar initially ran as a progressive but broke with the Democratic Socialists of America in 2023 — he says he quit, the local chapter says he was expelled — and has rebranded more around supporting Israel.
He received criticism from Democrats for a push to impeach President Donald Trump that was not sanctioned by party leadership, though he recently received an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top House Democrats anyway.
Thanedar’s campaign fundraising and spending have also attracted attention. His campaign has reported losing more than $2 million this year related to its cryptocurrency investments, a relatively uncommon use of campaign money. And Thanedar spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to run television ads from his office that look similar to campaign ads.
McKinney announced his bid for Congress last year, about 16 months before the primary. He’s highlighted his personal story about growing up in poverty and becoming the first in his family to attend college, as well as his work in the Legislature, to argue he can be effective and aggressive right out the gate.
Ultimately, Thanedar’s personal liabilities combined with broader Democratic voter frustration with the party’s establishment and a unified progressive campaign up and down the ballot in Michigan.
McKinney has the backing of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, as well as other prominent progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Groups such as Justice Democrats and Leaders We Deserve also backed McKinney as part of a broader slate of challengers taking on incumbents across the country this year.
