Thanedar faces Duggan-backed Waters for Congress seat
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Two Democrats, attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins and Detroit City Council member Mary Waters, are challenging incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar for Detroit's 13th District U.S. House seat.
- The winner is likely to be elected in November.
Catch up quick: Thanedar defeated a loaded field of Black candidates and snapped Detroit's 70-year streak of Black representation in Congress. Detroit's political establishment appeared to be lining up behind former state Rep. Adam Hollier before a signature fraud scandal ended his campaign.
- While Waters' endorsement from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was viewed as a credibility bump, Thanedar also won high-profile endorsements from U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the National Education Association.
Follow the money: Thanedar, a millionaire businessman, is far outspending Hawkins and Waters. Campaign finance records show he's loaned his campaign $4.8 million with more than $5 million cash on hand as of the most recent reporting period.
- Waters has raised more than $111,000, with about $20,000 in her war chest.
Friction point: The Waters campaign accused Thanedar of being behind a TV ad purchased by the dark money group Blue Wave Action that criticized Waters for her 2010 misdemeanor guilty plea for filing a false tax return.
- Thanedar denied involvement in the ad.
The other side: Republican Martell Bivings is the lone Republican candidate. He'll face the winner of Tuesday's primary in November.
Zoom in: The 13th District includes parts of Detroit and Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, Highland Park, the Grosse Pointes, Melvindale, Lincoln Park, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Wayne, River Rouge and Wyandotte.