In a plot twist that absolutely nobody saw coming, a guy who quit being a socialist got beaten by an actual socialist in Detroit's Democratic primary. Rep. Shri Thanedar, who once proudly carried his Democratic Socialists of America membership card before dramatically ripping it up in 2023, just learned that the socialist leopard he abandoned came back to eat his face. As The American Tribune reported, state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a 34 year old progressive backed by Bernie Sanders himself, defeated Thanedar in Michigan's August 4th primary for the 13th Congressional District.
Let's appreciate the beautiful irony here. Thanedar ditched the DSA back in October 2023 because he felt they didn't adequately condemn Hamas after the October 7th attack on Israel. Fast forward nearly three years, and that very same organization channeled all its energy into backing the guy running against him. Revenge is a dish best served collectively, apparently.
McKinney rolled into this race with endorsements from Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, basically assembling the progressive Avengers. He was also the very first candidate endorsed by Justice Democrats this election cycle. Meanwhile, Thanedar was over in the corner with $4.7 million in available cash, having loaned his own campaign over $2 million, including an $800,000 check he wrote himself in June. McKinney had roughly $264,000 on hand going into the final stretch. So basically, the guy with 18 times less money won. Capitalism really let Thanedar down on this one.
The writing was on the wall for weeks. A mid July Data for Progress poll showed Thanedar up four points, 46 to 42. But the moment voters actually learned stuff about both candidates, McKinney jumped ahead 48 to 41. Prediction markets gave McKinney an 87 percent chance of winning the day before votes were cast. And his fellow congressional Democrats? Let's just say they weren't exactly rushing to his rescue.
When asked about the lack of support from colleagues, Thanedar delivered what might be the saddest quote of the entire election cycle. "It's not like a high school," he said. "I'm not trying to be the most popular member of Congress." Mission accomplished, sir.
McKinney campaigned on Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and cutting American military aid to Israel. His slogan? "This election is about the many versus the money." Pretty catchy for a guy whose bank account looked like a college student's compared to his opponent's pharmaceutical fortune.
Thanedar, who came to America from India in 1979 and worked as a janitor before becoming a pharmaceutical executive, tried playing the anti Trump card as his closing argument. "There's nobody fighting harder than me against Trump," he insisted. Turns out that particular pitch didn't resonate with socialist activists who wanted an actual socialist representing their 78 percent Democratic district.
The winner of this primary is heavily favored to take the congressional seat in November, meaning Washington is about to get another Squad member. Somewhere, Bernie Sanders is doing whatever Bernie Sanders does when he's happy. Probably wagging his finger triumphantly.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
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