Progressive Democrats target 70-year-old incumbent with a primary challenge

Donavan McKinney, a Michigan state representative, announced Monday that he is launching a primary challenge to Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., making him the first candidate running in the 2026 Democratic primaries with the backing of Justice Democrats, a group that has promoted progressive, working-class candidates since 2018.

McKinney was first elected to the Michigan state House in 2022, representing the 14th district. Following redistricting, he was re-elected to represent the 14th in 2024, which lies just north of Detroit. Now he’s running for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, which encompasses some of the city and the surrounding area.

McKinney, 32, told Salon that he wants the party to understand the “needs of everyday people” and for that to serve as its “North Star” in 2026 and beyond. "In my community, that means lowering the costs for everyday families, and the greatest obstacle to delivering that is a broken campaign finance system that lets corporations and billionaires spend unlimited amounts of money to buy our elections and politicians like Shri," he said.

Prior to entering politics, McKinney was a union leader in SEIU Healthcare Michigan. In 2020, he was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the state’s Environmental Justice Council, spearheading the state’s Water Restart Grant Program. In the state House, McKinney has championed community violence intervention programs and public schools.

Thanedar, McKinney's opponent, is a 70-year-old businessman and author first elected to the House in 2022. Thanedar has largely self-funded his campaigns; last year, he in turn invested money from his campaign into cryptocurrency index funds, reaping millions of dollars in profit, according to The Detroit News. He has a generally liberal record in Congress and earlier this month called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, but he angered some on the left in 2023 when he announced his resignation from the Democratic Socialists of America, citing the group's response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel.

In his last campaign in 2022, AIPAC spent some $2.3 million against an opponent of Thanedar. AIPAC had previously spent against Thanedar, who had been a vocal critic of Israeli policy. However, the situation appears to have changed after Thanedar visited Israel with the group in 2023.

McKinney's campaign cited Thanedar's lavish campaign spending as well as accepting donations from PACs representing Big Pharma, defense contractors and local utility monopolies as reasons for challenging Thanedar. They also accused him of providing poor constituent services and having more in common with billionaire Elon Musk than his constituents.

Monday's announcement comes after the Justice Democrats announced earlier this year that it was launching a candidate recruitment campaign in an effort to push the Democratic Party toward adopting a more progressive, working-class agenda — and to counter the influence of money in politics.

McKinney said he plans “to take the fight to them head-on,” condemning Democrats who “put corporate interests over our communities” and who can’t be “clear-eyed” about the influence of Republican donors in Democratic politics.

“We need to be building and fighting for a Democratic agenda that not only energizes our bases but is overwhelmingly popular. An agenda that takes money out of politics, gives everyone access to universal, quality, affordable healthcare, clean air and water, and fully-funded public education — these aren’t controversial or radical, this is the bare minimum and voters across political parties want to see Washington fight for it,” McKinney said.

McKinney said that he sees such an agenda as an integral part of creating a robust opposition to the Trump administration. “This is a time to meet the moment, fill in the gaps of these do-nothing politicians and take this fight to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the billionaires destroying this country at our expense," he said.

In response to a request for comment from Salon, Thanedar's campaign said "Voters know my background. I grew up in abject poverty and with a good education, hard work, and some luck, was able to get my education, start a small business and lift my family out of poverty."

"I know firsthand what it’s like to struggle and make ends meet. That’s why I’m passionate about ensuring everyone gets a free education, universal healthcare, and access to skills training to get good-paying jobs. I achieved my American Dream and am working tirelessly to ensure everyone in my district can achieve their American Dream," Thanedar told Salon. "To date, we’ve solved 3,000 constituent cases, recovered $3 million for constituents, gotten 30 projects worth $30 million approved for the district, sponsored and co-sponsored over 800 bills, and have fought against Trump and Elon Musk’s disastrous policies and cuts."