McKinney unseats Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District

Aug 05, 2026 | 10:40 am ET

By Kyle Davidson

McKinney unseats Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District

U.S. House of Representatives candidate and current state Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit) speaks with a supporter ahead of his speech at a rally hosted by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) at Mumford High School in Detroit, Mich. May 3, 2026 | Photo by Ben Solis/Michigan Advance

Michigan State Rep. Donavan McKinney has emerged victorious in the race for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, lodging a successful challenge against incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit).

The Associated Press called the race for McKinney at 9:55 a.m. Wednesday. Unofficial results show McKinney received 51.9% of the vote, while Thanedar received 48.1% with 99% of votes counted.

“Detroit, I am honored beyond measure to be your Democratic nominee to represent the Mighty 13th in Congress. I am so proud that our community is sending me to Congress to fight for a better future — because that means our movement has shown them a fighter is what they truly deserve in Washington,” McKinney said in a statement. “Today, we showed why being always with the people is more than a slogan — it’s a roadmap for the Democratic Party on how to move forward to defeat the fascism and divisiveness harming our country, and to deliver the leadership the Mighty 13th deserves. Taking back our seat and taking back our power has always been at the core of our movement, and I’m so excited for all that our community will accomplish together.”

Michigan’s 13th Congressional District serves as a stronghold for Democrats and is made up of portions of Detroit, and its suburbs, including Allen Park, Hamtramck, Romulus and Wyandotte.

While Thanedar had the backing of U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), McKinney was endorsed by multiple progressive members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) and Summer Lee (D-Pa.). McKinney also had the support of fellow Detroit-area Rep. Rashida Tlaib and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

Thanedar issued a statement on Facebook congratulating McKinney on the win.

“I want to congratulate Representative Donavan McKinney on a hard fought race. It was a tough election cycle and, in the end, the voters of the 13th District chose him to represent them moving forward,” Thanedar said. “It was the honor of my life to represent the 13th District in the United States Congress. I’m proud of all the work we did, from solving over 4300 constituent cases, to securing $45 million in funding for projects in every single part of the district, to leading the fight against Trump and his administration. I look forward to serving out the remainder of my term and wish Representative McKinney the best.”

McKinney’s upset win also came despite Thanedar’s large cash advantage, with campaign finance reports indicating the incumbent congressman had raised $390,276 over the course of this campaign cycle, with $5 million cash on hand. McKinney, in contrast, had raised $1.37 million, with $142,853 in cash on hand.

McKinney is almost assured to be elected to Congress in the reliably Democratic district. The only Republican candidate, T.P. Nykoriak, was sentenced in 2016 to 16 months in federal prison for stealing U.S. savings bonds from a church.

The Democratic National Committee released a statement Wednesday congratulating McKinney on his primary victory.

“As a Detroit native who is serving his community in the Michigan Legislature, Donavan has spent his career fighting to expand opportunity for working families, lower costs, improve healthcare, and invest in local neighborhoods,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said. “Michigan Democrats have nominated a proven champion who will always put the people of his district first. The DNC is ready to work alongside him to lower costs and deliver for working families.”