DETROIT, Mich. — Rep. Shri Thanedar was taken down Tuesday by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed state Rep. Donavan McKinney in the latest primary victory for the progressive left.
Thanedar, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was seeking a third term representing Michigan’s 13th District, which includes part of Detroit.
McKinney will be heavily favored to win the general election in November against GOP longshot T.P. Nykoriak.
Thanedar’s defeat is the latest in a string of DSA and other left-wing primary successes across the country, with McKinney able to consolidate opposition to the incumbent and enjoy a one-on-one matchup that past challengers didn’t have.
The state lawmaker also had the backing of powerful far-left pols including “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Around the time McKinney entered the primary in April 2025, Thanedar pushed articles of impeachment against President Trump, sensing the challenge from the left that awaited him.
The India-born Thanedar has a fortune in the tens of millions of dollars thanks to an Ann Arbor-based chemical testing lab he helped found in 2010. He faced controversy over the venture after about 170 dogs and dozens of monkeys were abandoned at a facility he owned.
As a congressman, he faced more controversy over billboards of himself paid for with taxpayer money.
Thanedar now joins a group of defeated Democratic incumbents who were beaten by insurgent candidates, including Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Dan Goldman (D-NY), as well as longtime Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).
