Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters, who served three terms in the state House and carved out a progressive record, announced Tuesday that she’s taking the first steps to challenge first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit.
Waters, who is beginning to circulate petitions to appear on the ballot, expects to make a formal announcement within two weeks.
A former labor union organizer, graduate of the University of Michigan, and breast cancer survivor, Waters was the first Black woman to serve as floor leader when she served in the state House, where she racked up a perfect attendance record.
If she runs, Waters won’t be Thanedar’s only opponent in the Democratic primary next year. Former state Sen. Adam Hollier, of Detroit, announced his candidacy last month for the seat, which covers large swaths of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, and Downriver communities.
Hollier, a realtor and captain in the U.S. Army Reserves who previously held governmental staff roles for state senators, ran against Thanedar last year and came in second, winning 23.5% of the vote compared to Thanedar’s 28.3%. He has since secured numerous endorsements, including from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, a dozen state lawmakers, and the influential Black Slate.
Waters’s entry into the race adds a new dynamic to the primary contest. As one of two at-large Detroit council members, Waters has proven she can win in the state’s largest city. She unseated incumbent Councilwoman Janee Ayers in the general election in November 2021.
She also served in the state House from 2001 to 2006 and rose to minority floor leader.
Waters is also popular among labor union supporters. She previously served as the original organizer of the United Auto Workers Local 2500 while working at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
In her first term on the Detroit City Council, Waters has become one of the most progressive members, advocating for affordable housing, foreclosure prevention, and water affordability. After a spate of shootings in downtown Detroit in April, Waters announced she was exploring a measure to create gun-free zones in Greektown, the riverfront, Hart Plaza, and Spirit Plaza.
For his part, Thunder has had a bumpy first term. His former communications director, Adam Y. Abusalah, leveled troubling allegations against Thanedera on social media.
“In my first meeting with Shri and another staffer (who also quit) he said ‘I don’t care about policies or legislation right now. I just need you to focus on my re-election,’” Abusalah wrote. “I always reminded him that congressional work & campaign work needed to be separate but he didn’t care.”
Abusalah added, “... what’s important to know is that Shri is all about himself. He’s the most ignorant, self-centered, and uninformed human I’ve ever worked with.”
👋 Hello, Shri’s former Comms Director here.
— Adam Y. Abusalah (@adam_abusalah) October 13, 2023
I started working as Shri’s Comms Director in his congressional office and quit in May - I can confirm this. During my first few days working for him, I knew I was in for an interesting ride. 🧵 https://t.co/NmqLA17WQe
He claimed Thanedar was more obsessed with his social media presence than his work as a lawmaker. Abusalah quit as communications director in May, after serving in the role for several months.
In a statement, Thanedar’s chief of staff, Patrick Malone, said none of the allegations were true and suggested Abusalah was acting out because of Thanedar’s support for Israel following the attack by Hamas.
“These untrue allegations are clearly a direct response to Congressman Thanedar’s principled stance in support of Israel’s right to self-defense and against the brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas,” Malone said.
Thanedar was admonished for criticizing fellow Democrats who have shown sympathy toward Palestinians, who have come under a brutal, relentless military campaign by Israel in Gaza.
Thanedar also renounced his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America over its response to the conflict and suggested U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, was an antisemite.
Critics pointed out that Thanedar has flip-flopped on his views of Israel. While a state representative two years ago, Thanedar sponsored a resolution that called on Congress to end U.S. funding to Israel’s military. The resolution also labeled Israel as an “apartheid” state. The resolution was so alarming to Zionists that the United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel political action committee, spent more than $2.7 million on ads last year to support his congressional opponent, then-state Sen. Adam Hollier, a Detroit Democrat. The PAC bought an additional $1.4 million worth of ads attacking Thanedar.
In response to the state House resolution, Hollier called Thanedar an “existential threat” to Israel.
After the PAC began funding Hollier’s campaign, Thanedar told Metro Times last year that he regretted sponsoring the resolution and asked the co-sponsors of the measure to remove his name. At the time, Thanedar also slammed Hollier for taking the pro-Israel money.
Thanedar attributed his changing attitude to a congressional delegation trip sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs committee.
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