Anti-Israel Michigan state rep. McKinney defeats sympathetic incumbent in US House primary

Donavan McKinney, who has pledged to cut military aid to the Jewish state and criticized ‘genocide’ in Gaza, wins against AIPAC-sponsored opponent Shri Thanedar

JTA — Progressive Donavan McKinney, who pledged to sever military aid to Israel, has defeated a pro-Israel advocate in a US House Democratic primary race in Michigan.

McKinney, a state representative, challenged incumbent US Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th District as fierce debates over US support for Israel shaped the state’s Democratic primaries. McKinney won the race with 51.9% of the vote to Thanedar’s 48.1% after 99% of ballots were counted on Wednesday morning, according to The Associated Press.

He is heavily favored to win the overwhelmingly Democratic district in November’s general election, when he will face Republican candidate T.P. Nykoriak, who ran uncontested.

McKinney, a democratic socialist backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and other prominent progressives, largely focused his campaign on domestic issues like championing workers, reducing income inequality and bolstering public health in a district that encompasses much of Detroit and its western suburbs. A Black politician, he has also pushed for Black representation of the majority-Black district, which is the poorest in Michigan.

The last section of McKinney’s platform on his campaign website is labeled “Palestine.” He vowed to “end the military aid and arms that America gives to Israel” and to sign the Block the Bombs Act, a resolution that would prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel, which gained record support among Democrats in Congress earlier this year. A separate amendment that would eliminate military aid to Israel won votes from a majority of House Democrats last month. However, the amendment failed as the only Republican who backed it was its sponsor, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.

“Israel needs to immediately end the genocide and release all Palestinians who have been detained, as well as allow the remains to be reunited with the families of their loved ones,” McKinney said on his website.

McKinney added that the United States must “resume funding for UNRWA and other NGOs that aim to help end the famine, ensure full access to high-quality medical care, and provide full access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians.”

Israel strongly denies accusations of having committed genocide in Gaza during the years-long war with Hamas, sparked by the terror group’s October 2023 attack on Israel. It has also rejected claims of having created a famine in the Palestinian enclave.

McKinney has linked the concerns of marginalized and poor people in his district to the military funds sent abroad.

“I can’t in good conscience at the federal level support sending billions — and sometimes trillions over decades — for bombs and weapons to kill families and children,” he said in an interview on Detroit Public Radio in April. “When literally in my own neighborhood, I have to witness and see my neighbors struggling day to day.”

Thanedar, a millionaire businessman and former DSA member, bucked his party’s trend by boosting his support for Israel in recent years. As a state legislator in 2021, Thanedar co-sponsored legislation to end military aid to Israel. After he was elected to Congress in 2022, he took an American-Israel Public Affairs Committee-sponsored trip to Israel and became a staunch Israel advocate.

Thanedar renounced his DSA membership after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, citing a New York City rally hosted by the party the next day in which some speakers praised the attacks. He called the event “hate-filled and antisemitic.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of Israel’s most stalwart Democratic supporters, endorsed Thanedar.

Thanedar had highlighted a platform of progressive issues, including affordability, public housing, universal healthcare and abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He has faced criticism throughout his political career for accepting donations from corporate PACs and for a personal fortune that allowed him to largely self-fund his campaigns.

AIPAC fundraised for Thanedar during his contest with McKinney, but the pro-Israel group focused its strongest efforts in Michigan this cycle on defending pro-Israel moderate Rep. Haley Stevens against progressive Israel critic Abdul El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination for Senate. The organization funneled a record-breaking $32 million into Stevens’ campaign. El-Sayed narrowly beat Stevens early on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, scoring a high-profile win for the political left.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.