Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters, a former labor union organizer who served three terms in the state House, announced Thursday that she’s running for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by Shri Thanedar.
Standing outside Hamtramck City Hall, Waters distinguished herself from her two challengers by calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Voters want the killing to stop,” Waters said. “Most human beings, when you care about people, want to eliminate violence. Kids in Gaza are being killed by the thousands.”
Waters said Hamtrmack’s mayor and all-Muslim city council plan to endorse her, which is expected to give the progressive Democrat an edge in cities with large Muslim populations.
The 13th district covers Hamtramck, Highland Park, Harper Woods, and large swaths of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, and Downriver communities.
Thanedar, a Detroit Democrat, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and even criticized 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.
The other Democrat in the race, former state Sen. Adam Hollier, of Detroit, received more than $2.7 million from the pro-Israel political action committee United Democracy Project when he ran against Thanedar four years ago.
Hollier, a realtor and captain in the U.S. Army Reserves who previously held governmental staff roles for state senators, ran against Thanedar in 2022 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.
In November, the Detroit City Council voted in support of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and Waters was one of the biggest proponents.
Waters invoked Martin Luther King Jr.’s anti-violence philosophy. “We must free hostages immediately and demand a ceasefire now,” Waters said. “As a member of Congress, I will work to cut the Pentagon War budget and use the dollars for safe streets in America by funding community police foot patrols and fighting poverty while increasing social security payments for our seniors.”
The primary race for Congress will take place in August.
Waters also said her top issues are seniors, veterans, single mothers and families, public safety, affordable housing, poverty, literacy, foreclosure prevention, jobs, and health care.
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.
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.
If elected, Waters said she will be a staunch advocate for her constituents.
“I will be accessible,” Waters said. “You will see me in person. I’ll be working in the community. I will be more than a picture on a card in your mailbox. I will be more than an expensive TV ad. Please don’t vote for a political ad on your flat screen TV.”
For his part, Thanedar has had a bumpy first term. His former communications director, Adam Y. Abusalah, leveled troubling allegations against Thanedar 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.”
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 to Metro Times, 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.
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