Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters is making another run for Congress, setting up a rematch with U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in a Democratic primary that has put a spotlight on Israel’s war with Gaza.
Waters confirmed to Metro Times on Friday that she is running in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, days after filing paperwork before Tuesday’s deadline to qualify for the Aug. 4 primary ballot.
Before Waters entered the race, Thanedar was already facing a strong opponent, Rep. Donavan McKinney, a Detroit progressive who has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Realtor John Goci is also running in the primary.
Waters, a former state lawmaker and one of two at-large members of Detroit City Council, ran against Thanedar in 2024 and received 34% of the vote, despite being heavily outspent. Thanedar won the primary with about 54% of the vote and cruised to reelection in the heavily Democratic district.
This time, Waters says she is better positioned.
“Despite having $8 to $10 million dollars spent against me in the last 13th Congressional District Democratic primary race for standing strong on Gaza to stop the slaughter of innocent civilians including children, I still garnered 34% of the primary vote two years ago,” Waters said in a statement to Metro Times. “I am now primed to win after collecting over 2,000 signatures to place my name on the ballot for Congress.”
Waters cited her “unmatched depth of experience,” which includes serving as the first Black woman Democratic floor leader in the Michigan House and winning reelection to Detroit City Council as the top vote-getter “without having to buy one yard sign.”
“I run on what I have done, not a conversation of fake promises,” Waters said. “Seniors, single mothers with children and youth seeking employment through the skilled trades are top priorities for me.”
Waters’s candidacy will likely reshape a race that already has drawn national attention from progressives and pro-Palestinian voters. Thanedar has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has faced criticism from the left over his position on Gaza. In 2023, he renounced his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America, saying the group failed to adequately condemn Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Pro-Israel money also played a major role in the 2024 primary. A political action committee linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent nearly $2.3 million attacking Waters in the closing weeks of the race. At the time, Waters was calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and criticized Israel’s military campaign.
Waters made Gaza a central part of her 2024 campaign. At her launch event outside Hamtramck City Hall at the time, she called for a ceasefire and said, “Voters want the killing to stop.”
This year, the issue is more politically volatile than ever, as Israel’s war in Gaza and bombings elsewhere in the Middle East continue to divide Democrats. McKinney has drawn support from progressive and pro-Palestinian voters, while Thanedar’s support for Israel has made him a target for human right advocates.
Before Waters entered the race, McKinney’s campaign had gained momentum in recent months. Sanders endorsed him in June 2025, calling him “exactly the type of leader we need in Washington right now.” Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, also backed McKinney, saying residents in the 13th District deserve “responsive representation.”
Waters’s late entry complicates the effort to unseat Thanedar.
In Democratic primaries, multiple challengers often split the anti-incumbent vote, making it easier for an incumbent to survive with a plurality. Thanedar benefited from a crowded field in 2022, when he won the Democratic primary with 28.3% of the vote. In 2024, he defeated Waters and Shakira Hawkins after Adam Hollier was disqualified from the ballot over petition problems.
The 13th District includes much of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, the Grosse Pointes, and Downriver communities. The winner of the Democratic primary is heavily favored in November.
Waters’s campaign rollout this time was unusually quiet. Unlike her 2024 campaign, when she held a public launch event outside Hamtramck City Hall and made Gaza a centerpiece of her announcement, Waters filed just before Tuesday’s deadline without a major announcement or media statement. The Michigan Chronicle reported Wednesday that Waters’s name appeared on an unofficial candidate list, but Waters had not publicly commented on her campaign until Friday.
That unusual, low-profile launch is likely to fuel questions about how aggressively Waters plans to campaign and whether her candidacy could end up benefiting Thanedar by dividing voters who want him replaced.
For now, Waters is presenting herself as a proven vote-getter with deep experience in Detroit politics and a record of speaking out on Gaza.
“I provided leadership that enacted ordinances with Tenant Rights & Compliance provisions,” Waters said. “I led the fight against unjust practices of the Detroit Land Bank. My work against deed fraud has set the standard to protect property owners in Detroit.”
