Shri Thanedar Out!

Shri Thanedar is the latest pro Israel Democrat to fall.

Another pro Israel Democrat loses to a progressive. While I do give him credit for being a headache to President Donald J. Trump and Republicans, Michigan Democratic lawmaker Shri Thanedar of Michigan was another pro Israel member.

He and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) gambled on support of Israel. They ended up losing big time. Andy Levin is vindicated. He lost to Stevens. His old district was redrawn for Thanedan.

Donavan McKinney, a Michigan state representative defeats him in a bitter primary.

The Associated Press projects Donavan McKinney will win the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 13 at 3:00 am.

McKinney advances to the November general election.

The Times of Israel, a far right propaganda outlet details the win as a failure to generate votes.

McKinney, a democratic socialist backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and other prominent progressives, largely focused his campaign on domestic issues like championing workers, reducing income inequality and bolstering public health in a district that encompasses much of Detroit and its western suburbs. A Black politician, he has also pushed for Black representation of the majority-Black district, which is the poorest in Michigan.

Haley Stevens, Shri Thanedar, and Senator Gary Peters all participating in a Heil Hitler conga line. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/RmrkQRDnGh

— gato fumante (@KweenInYellow) July 18, 2026

She doesn’t have to endorse.

Here’s Jocelyn Benson dancing with Haley Stevens waving an Israel flag. https://t.co/ukO7xc3yNt pic.twitter.com/4GZ00Q01pX

— 🔻lala🔻 (@lavendroatlatte) July 30, 2026

The last section of McKinney’s platform on his campaign website is labeled “Palestine.” He vowed to “end the military aid and arms that America gives to Israel” and to sign the Block the Bombs Act, a resolution that would prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel, which gained record support among Democrats in Congress earlier this year. A separate amendment that would eliminate military aid to Israel won votes from a majority of House Democrats last month. However, the amendment failed as the only Republican who backed it was its sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

Thanedar, a millionaire businessman and former DSA member, bucked his party’s trend by boosting his support for Israel in recent years. As a state legislator in 2021, Thanedar co-sponsored legislation to end military aid to Israel. After he was elected to Congress in 2022, he took an American-Israel Public Affairs Committee-sponsored trip to Israel and became a staunch Israel advocate.

Thanedar renounced his DSA membership after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, citing a New York City rally hosted by the party the next day in which some speakers praised the attacks. He called the event “hate-filled and antisemitic.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), one of Israel’s most stalwart Democratic supporters, endorsed Thanedar.

Thanedar had highlighted a platform of progressive issues, including affordability, public housing, universal healthcare and abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He has faced criticism throughout his political career for accepting donations from corporate PACs and for a personal fortune that allowed him to largely self-fund his campaigns.

AIPAC fundraised for Thanedar during his contest with McKinney, but the pro-Israel group focused its strongest efforts in Michigan this cycle on defending pro-Israel moderate Stevens against progressive Israel critic Abdul El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination for Senate. The organization funneled a record-breaking $32 million into Stevens’ campaign. El-Sayed narrowly beat Stevens early on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, scoring a high-profile win for the political left.