Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) is out. He served two terms in the U.S. House representing Michigan's 13th Congressional District, and Tuesday night, Democrat primary voters decided they wanted someone even further to the left. That's saying something, because it's genuinely hard to out-radical Thanedar.
Thanedar’s brief congressional career was essentially based on one signature move: introducing articles of impeachment against Trump administration officials whenever the mood struck him. He wasn't a normie by any definition. He was the guy whose entire role in the Democrat Party seemed to be making everyone else look sane by comparison.
This morning, I called Rep. Donavan McKinney and congratulated him on his win. I offered him full cooperation and a smooth transition. https://t.co/6HA2uVx7QC
— Shri Thanedar (@ShriThanedar) August 5, 2026
His replacement won't offer that contrast. Donavan McKinney (D-Mich.), a Michigan state representative who belongs to the Metro Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, beat Thanedar 51.9% to 48.1% in Tuesday's primary.
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Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the U.S. Senate primary was a brutal blow to Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Thanedar’s defeat is a brutal blow to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), one of the only prominent Democrats who endorsed him in this primary. Watching a DSA candidate crush your endorsement in your own party isn't a great look heading into the midterms, and it signals to the Democrat establishment that the base doesn’t give a hoot what they want, not even from the guy who wants to be speaker of the House.
I'll admit it: I'm conflicted about this outcome. Thanedar has spent two terms as one of the more obnoxious members of the House, and honestly he won’t be missed. A DSA-backed candidate is about to take his seat, and that’s likely just going to help the GOP. Now, of course, this seat was never coming to the GOP anyway, but Thanedar's loss is useful in the sense that it’s further proof of how much control the socialist wing now holds over the Democrat Party, and Republicans can use it to strengthen their case to moderate and independent voters this fall.
On top of that, Thanedar's defeat will also embolden the DSA to keep going after incumbents instead of sitting on the sidelines. It's already happened in New York. In the 7th District, Claire Valdez won on a platform that included voting rights for people who entered the country illegally, taxpayer-funded transgender medical treatments, and the elimination of private health insurance. In the 10th District, Brad Lander took nearly 65% of the vote against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), one of the loudest anti-Trump voices in the Democrat caucus and a leader of the push to impeach President Trump. His own district decided he wasn't leftist enough.
The Democrat Party base keeps replacing its own members with self-described socialists, and leadership has no answer for it. That's a pattern those outside the far-left bubble will notice, and Republicans won’t let them forget… all the way to November.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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