DETROIT (AP) — Asked about his choice for Congress minutes after casting his ballot in Detroit, Michael Fuqua struggled to come up with a name.“Dillinger. I think it was Daniel,” Fuqua replied Tuesday afternoon outside Henry Ford High School on the city’s northwest side. But Fuqua was much clearer about who didn’t get his vote. “Not Shri, definitely not him.”The candidate that Fuqua chose was state Rep. Donavan McKinney, and he defeated Shri Thanedar, an incumbent who was seeking his third consecutive term representing the 13th Congressional District. McKinney’s win almost assures that Detroit, a majority Black city, will have its first Black representative in Congress since 2022. He will face Republican Taras Nykoriak in the November general election in a district that votes overwhelming Democrat.“This is a very diverse district, but it encompasses the Blackest major city in all of America,” McKinney told reporters Wednesday. “We cannot forget what Detroit means, not only to our city and our state, but to the world.”
McKinney is positioning himself as a candidate who can bridge divides between different communities.“It’s not just about restoring Black leadership, this is about restoring the right leadership,” he said.
