Major union endorses Donavan McKinney for Congress in growing wave of progressive support
The endorsement comes about a month after U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib also backed McKinney
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One of Michigan’s most influential labor unions is throwing its support behind state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, marking the latest major endorsement for the progressive challenger in the 13th Congressional District.
Michigan’s chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents more than 30,000 workers across four local unions, announced Monday it is backing McKinney, a former SEIU member and union leader.
The endorsement comes less than a week after U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib in backing McKinney.
“Donavan's bold leadership will help rewrite the rules to win an economy that actually works for Michigan families,” SEIU Michigan Director Beth Byrd said. “As an SEIU union member and political director, Donavan helped thousands of union members secure better wages and benefits. Donavan understands the struggles of working people, while far too many politicians are beholden to the billionaires and corporations who try to divide us.”
McKinney said he was honored to receive the endorsement from the union that helped shape his career and values.
“SEIU Michigan has been a leader taking on corporate power and greedy CEOs for a better and fairer world for our workers in all industries, and I remain deeply committed to that work everywhere — from Downriver to Detroit and beyond,” McKinney said. “This campaign is about uniting everyday people and workers across their differences and industries to deliver a better future for us all at the ballot box. We are only ever as powerful as our labor movement and from the Mighty 13th to Washington DC, I am committed to strengthening our workers’ power alongside SEIU Michigan to make southeastern Michigan a cleaner, more equitable, and more affordable place for all.”
A lifelong Detroiter, McKinney represents parts of Wayne and Macomb counties and has emerged as the progressive frontrunner in the Democratic primary. In recent weeks, his campaign has picked up endorsements from Sanders, Tlaib, Justice Democrats, and more than 30 elected officials across the district, including six state senators and over a dozen state representatives.
Also running for the seat is former state Sen. Adam Hollier.
SEIU’s backing further cements McKinney’s status as the labor candidate in a race that has drawn national attention. He has joined nursing home workers on the picket line, fought for legislation to lower costs for working families, and helped develop Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Water Restart Grant Program during the pandemic.
Thanedar, a multimillionaire who largely self-funded his 2022 campaign, has come under fire for spending public money on self-promotion and for accepting donations from corporate political action committees, including those representing Big Pharma and utility companies like DTE Energy.
McKinney, by contrast, has framed his campaign as a grassroots movement driven by working-class voters and community coalitions.
“I understand first-hand just how critical it is to have progressive, working class leaders pushing for federal government policies that truly [uplift] all people, not just the wealthy and well-connected,” McKinney said earlier this month.
Michigan’s 13th Congressional District includes parts of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, and Downriver communities, and is one of the poorest in the nation. The primary election is Aug. 5.
