Democratic state lawmaker Donavan McKinney announced this week his intentions to run against Congressman Shri Thanedar in the 13th District primary election next year.

McKinney, 32, grew up in the district on Detroit’s east side and is the second person to join the race, alongside former state Rep. Adam Hollier. 

He was first elected to the Michigan House in 2022 as a representative for the state’s 14th district. He was reelected in the 11th House District last year, after district lines were redrawn. 

Metro Producer Sam Corey spoke with McKinney on the heels of his Congressional bid announcement to discuss his campaign priorities, which include advocating for clean air, clean water, and economic security.

Fact check: During the conversation, McKinney said the 13th District is the second poorest in the country. WDET couldn’t confirm that, but it is among the poorest districts in the nation. The Commercial Driver License law McKinney helped pass will also likely impact about one million Michiganders, not two million as he mentioned. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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Former State lawmaker Adam Hollier is running for Congress again, challenging incumbent Shri Thanedar in next year’s Democratic primary election.

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This is the third time the Detroit Democrat has run against Thanedar for the 13th Congressional District seat, which includes portions of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and Grosse Pointe.

“I’m going to earn your support because people making decisions for our community should be a part of our community. I have a lot to say about where our representatives should be doing to actually improve our lives, building more homes, getting a break on childcare, and finally, a tax cut for real people, not the millionaires and certainly not the billionaires,” he said in his announcement Monday on social media.

Hollier filed to run against Thanedar last year and had many big-name supporters. But he failed to file enough valid petition signatures to get on the ballot.

“We screwed up — [I] trusted someone I shouldn’t have to help get our campaign on the ballot. The end result was, I let people down,” Hollier said in his announcement. “…and I’m pissed about it.”

Hollier also ran in 2022 but finished behind Thanedar in that crowded primary race. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, April 15, 2025:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. She says the declaration is just one part of an effort to address the systemic disparities in health care that lead to higher risks of death for Black women during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Detroit’s young entrepreneurs are invited to a kickoff party on Wednesday at the Love Building for NextUp313. The program is run through City Council Member Mary Waters’ office and is focused on making residents between the ages of 18-30 aware of entrepreneurial opportunities, including small business development.
• The Detroit Historical Society is hosting the Honorable Robert L Wilkins for a talk about his 2016 book, “Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”  The free event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, April 19.
• Detroit’s District 3 residents are invited to a block club workshop focused on sharing skills to organize and run a block club at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at the SAY Detroit Play Center, 19320 Van Dyke Ave. This week’s focus will be on preparing to participate in the Motor City Makeover. 

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