The left-wing group Justice Democrats has announced its first primary challenge of the 2024 election cycle, targeting Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.). The move signals a broader trend of progressive groups aiming to challenge incumbent Democratic lawmakers they deem insufficiently aligned with their agenda.
According to Axios, Justice Democrats, known for backing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) successful 2018 primary campaign, are throwing their support behind Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney.
This challenge comes as other groups, like David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve, anticipate numerous primary bids against House Democrats in the coming months, reflecting grassroots discontent with the Democratic establishment.
“Democratic voters… are fed up with a Democratic Party overrun by do-nothing career politicians who are totally unequipped to lead in this moment,” said Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas.
This marks the first time since the 2022 election cycle that Justice Democrats are backing a primary challenger to a sitting House Democrat.
Axios reported that the group has a track record of successful primary challenges, including those against former Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Lacy Clay (D.Mo.) in 2020. However, the 2024 cycle saw them on the defensive, with both Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D.N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D.Mo.), whom they helped elect in 2020, losing their reelection bids.
READ: Illinois Gov. Pritzker Slams ‘Do Nothing Democrats’ Amid 2028 Presidential Bid Rumors
McKinney’s entry into the race adds complexity to the effort to unseat Thanedar, a wealthy former businessman who self-funds his campaigns.
Thanedar won a crowded 2022 primary, where former state Sen. Adam Hollier and eight other Democrats split the vote, according to Axios. Hollier, who narrowly lost to Thanedar in 2022, attempted to challenge him again in 2024 but failed to qualify for the ballot.
Thanedar’s 2022 victory resulted in Detroit, a city with an approximately 80% Black population, losing its Black congressman for the first time in nearly 70 years.
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