Michigan U.S. House District 13 Candidates
Michigan U.S. House District 13 Candidates
Freshman U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar faces two Democratic opponents -- attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins and Detroit City Council member Mary Waters -- in the Aug. 6 primary contest to represent Detroit's 13th District. Republican candidate Martell D. Bivings has no opponent in the primary and will be on the General Election ballot.
Shakira Lynn Hawkins, Democrat
Shakira Lynn Hawkins – a native Detroiter – is an attorney who calls herself a progressive Democrat and who says she would advocate for measures to fight climate change, support labor unions and tackle gun violence among a range of other issues. She has a background as a public defender and previously worked for City of Detroit’s law department on its blight litigation team. “Shakira believes that democracy is fragile and wants to fight to preserve our freedom for today and for our children’s futures,” she wrote in a Facebook post for her campaign.
Shri Thanedar, Democrat
Thanedar, D-Detroit, is a freshman member of Congress who emerged from a crowded primary field in 2022 in a newly drawn congressional district. He previously served as a state representative in the Michigan House and ran for Governor in 2018. Thanedar is a millionaire entrepreneur and Indian immigrant who rose from poverty. “I’ll never forget what it’s like to live in poverty, and I’ll never stop working to lift Detroit families out of it,” he says on his campaign website. Thanedar – a vocal defender of Israel – has received campaign contributions from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Mary Waters, Democrat
Waters serves as an at-large member of Detroit City Council. In launching her congressional bid this past February, she emphasized her support for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Housing affordability, cutting defense funding and increasing Social Security payments are among her top priorities if elected. Her current campaign marks her fourth congressional run. Mayor Mike Duggan took the unusual step of endorsing a Democratic challenger to an incumbent when he announced his support for Waters. She previously served in the Michigan House as a state representative from 2001 to 2006 and won her city council race in 2021.
Martell D. Bivings, Republican
Bivings is the lone Republican seeking to represent the 13th District. He has a policy background working as an analyst for the City of Detroit and previously worked at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation – a quasi-public economic development organization – as a business liaison, according to his campaign website. He points to his experience to make the case that he can pursue policies in Congress to ease inflation, provide tax breaks for existing homeowners and support entrepreneurship. Among his top priorities are providing tax breaks for child care and securing the border. He is supporting Trump’s reelection bid.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan U.S. House District 13 Candidates