The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) announced it will back state Representative Donavan McKinney over incumbent Shri Thanedar in the election for a Michigan congressional seat. The national DSA officially endorsed McKinney in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Thanedar resigned from DSA in October 2023 following the October 7 attacks on Israel. He said, "After the brutal terrorist attacks that included the indiscriminate killing, rape, and abduction of innocent men, women, and children, I can no longer be associated with an organization that refuses to condemn terrorism in all its forms."
Thanedar is facing criticism from the left wing of his party. Senator Bernie Sanders and DSA member Representative Rashida Tlaib are among the members of Congress backing McKinney. McKinney was already endorsed by the Detroit-area DSA.
Thanedar previously made headlines for his campaign to impeach President Donald Trump and for threats against some cabinet members. He also supported legislation that would pave the way for a national system of reparations for Black Americans.
DSA-backed candidates have recently unseated many establishment Democrats in the party's strongholds. In New York, Representative Dan Goldman and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat lost primaries to left-wing challengers. In Colorado, DSA-endorsed Melat Kiros ousted longtime Representative Diane DeGette.
Republicans are using these victories as evidence that Democrats are shifting further left and moving away from the political stance of most Americans. Moderate Democrats, meanwhile, are sounding the alarm ahead of the November midterm elections. Representative Henry Cuellar, one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the election cycle, told Fox News, "As a Democrat, I reject what the DSA is doing. I read their platform, and it is radical."
