Former state senator Adam Hollier challenges Shri Thanedar for US House seat

Former state Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, announced Tuesday he is running again for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, challenging first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, also D-Detroit.

Hollier, a lifelong Detroiter who is also a captain in the Army Reserve, has been serving since the beginning of the year as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. He was elected to the state Senate in 2018 and served one term.

“We need a congressman who delivers, and we need it right now," Hollier said in a news release announcing his campaign sent out Tuesday morning. "Sadly, out of touch multimillionaires like (U.S. Rep.) Shri Thanedar seem more interested in posting memes than delivering for the district, and we’ve had enough.

“I’ve spent my entire life taking on the big fights and delivering for the people who need it most — and that’s exactly what I’ll do in Congress," Hollier said.

Last year, Hollier — who many saw as the favorite to win in the newly drawn district largely based in Detroit and Downriver communities — came in second in the Democratic primary, winning 23.5% of the vote compared with Thanedar's 28.3%. But that was in a crowded field of nine candidates, all of whom, except Thanedar, a millionaire Indian immigrant and former state representative, are Black, which split the vote, especially in Detroit.

Thanedar ended up winning Detroit over Hollier by about 78 votes and did far better in the Downriver communities. Because the district is so overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning, winning the primary virtually guaranteed Thanedar the victory in the general, which also resulted in the first time since 1955 that Detroit hasn't been represented by a Black member in Congress.

Hollier's announcement came at a time when Thanedar has come under fire from some critics and is potentially vulnerable. Last week, he publicly announced he was leaving the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), saying it hadn't adequately denounced Hamas for deadly attacks launched against Israel, though the local DSA group said it already voted him out because of support he showed for the nationalistic Hindi-Modi regime in India.

Other reports also noted that Thanedar had been an opponent of what he then called Israel's "apartheid" regime in the state Legislature, offering a resolution calling on the U.S. to stop funding for that country. But after the pro-Israel American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) backed Hollier in 2022, Thanedar traveled this year with a group affiliated with AIPAC to Israel, saying he wanted to put any tensions to rest and calling Israel "an important ally" of the U.S.

Also last week, after U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, also D-Detroit, criticized Thanedar's job performance in the Detroit News following remarks of his that appeared to blast her for not more forcefully denouncing Hamas, others, including state Sen. Darrin Camillieri, D-Trenton, went on social media to back up claims that Thanedar's constituent services were lacking. A former employee also accused him of being self-centered and more concerned about reelection and social media followers than policy or constituent services.

A spokesman for Thanedar dismissed the claims. On Tuesday, Thanedar, in a text message to the Free Press, responded to Hollier's jumping into the race by saying he "ran one of the most negative campaigns in recent memory in 2022 and it looks like he’s using the same playbook again."

"I believe that vision and results, and not negative attacks, are what the people of Michigan’s 13th Congressional District need. I’m proud to run on my record of delivering help for my constituents, bringing back funding for critical projects across the district, sponsoring bills to help workers, and standing up to the extreme Republican Majority's efforts to ban abortion and take away our voting rights," Thanedar wrote.

In his announcement Tuesday, Hollier said he had endorsements from several local officials, including former U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

“The truth is, what our community needs is actually very simple — a congressman who will listen, show up, and deliver,” Hollier said. “Shri Thanedar hasn’t gotten it done. I will.”

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Adam Hollier challenges Shri Thanedar for US House seat