In 2020, Minneapolis had a chance to rid itself of an anti-Semitic socialist when a seemingly-strong candidate emerged to primary the execrable Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). It did not quite work out in the heavily-Somali district.
This year another opportunity presents itself in southeast Michigan.
Far-left bigot Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — who’s openly called for the end of policing and emptying of prisons — may have a tougher time winning re-election to a third term.
On Tuesday, Brenda Lawrence, a Michigan congresswoman since 2015, became the 25th House Democrat to announce retirement after this year’s midterms. This may not seem noteworthy since her Detroit district is staunchly Democrat, but with the Wolverine State’s new congressional map eliminating one of their 14 congressional districts and changing the borders of several Detroit-area districts, it is.
Lawrence was redrawn into the 12th District.
Tlaib, who now lives in the newly-drawn 13th Congressional District, suddenly could have faced a primary challenger in her home district. The 13th still includes Detroit but also some conservative-leaning southern suburbs.
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But Tlaib decided Wednesday to run in the new 12th, which includes Dearborn — home to the largest Arab population in the country — as well as other Detroit suburbs and the metro area.
Perhaps this is because State Rep. Shri Thanedar, a wealthy Indian-American entrepreneur who ran for governor in 2018, recently announced that he planned to spend $5 million to run in the 13th, setting up a potentially costly fight for Tlaib should she have chosen to remain in the district.
I am running for MI-13, to stand with and represent those that have been neglected and marginalized by this corrupt political system which favors the rich, the powerful, and the corporations.
— Rep. Shri Thanedar (@ShriThanedar) December 28, 2021
And since Lawrence was the only black U.S. representative in the state, Democrats may also recruit a black candidate to run in one or both of the districts.
So Tlaib lacked a natural base in the 13th, yet she could encounter similar hurdles in the 12th, since the western portion also includes suburban Democrats, who are less partisan, and thus less in sync with Tlaib’s radical agenda. It’s unclear whether she will be asked to physically move into the district she’ll potentially represent.
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