Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar lost the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday, with state Representative Donavan McKinney defeating the two-term lawmaker in a closely fought contest backed by the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.McKinney secured 51.9 per cent of the vote against Thanedar’s 48.1 per cent, winning by a margin of 3.79 percentage points.The news agency Associated Press called the race at 9:55 am EDT.McKinney will now become the Democratic nominee for the November House of Representatives election from the heavily Democratic district, where he is considered the favourite to win.
Progressive wing scores another victory
McKinney, a 34-year-old state legislator, was backed by several prominent progressive leaders and organisations, including Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Justice Democrats and Leaders We Deserve.According to NBC News, the victory marks another success for the Democratic Party’s progressive faction, which has been mounting primary challenges against establishment-backed incumbents.McKinney campaigned on a progressive platform that included “Medicare for All”, increased investments in clean energy and housing, and tighter restrictions on US military aid to Israel.Both candidates supported several progressive policies, including universal healthcare and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, McKinney sharply criticised Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, describing it as a “genocide”, while Thanedar consistently voted in favour of military aid to Israel.Thanedar acknowledged the broader political trend after the result.“The socialist movement that has defeated many sitting members in New York and elsewhere has come to Michigan, and we came out short,” he told The New York Times, while pledging to support McKinney in the general election.
Thanedar faced multiple challenges during campaign
Thanedar initially identified as a progressive but later distanced himself from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in 2023.During the campaign, he also faced criticism from fellow Democrats after introducing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump without backing from the party leadership.Thanedar’s campaign came under scrutiny over financial decisions, including reported losses of more than $2 million linked to cryptocurrency investments and the use of taxpayer-funded television advertisements that resembled campaign ads.Despite those controversies, Thanedar received endorsements from House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and other senior House Democrats.
Indian-American representation in House may decline
Thanedar’s defeat is likely to reduce Indian-American representation in the US House of Representatives from six to four, assuming Representatives Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal and Suhas Subramanyam retain their seats in November.Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi will not return to the House after unsuccessfully contesting the Senate Democratic primary earlier this year.Meanwhile, Indian-American candidate Amish Shah is the Democratic nominee from Arizona’s First Congressional District for the November election, while Pia Dandiya remains in the race for the Democratic primary in Florida.Thanedar, who immigrated to the United States from India in 1979 to pursue a PhD in chemistry, reflected on his political journey after the defeat.“This country has given me so much, including an ability to represent 750,000 people in the United States Congress. That has been the honour of my life,” he told The New York Times.Asked about his future plans, Thanedar said he intended to remain active in public life.“I did not have a plan B… I will continue to stay involved and continue to help serve the people of my district,” he said.
