Rep. Shri Thanedar, the Far-Left Michigan Democrat noted for his numerous attempts to impeach President Donald Trump, has lost his Democratic primary to state Rep. Donavan McKinney.
Thanedar received an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top House Democrats. However, McKinney had the backing of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, as well as other prominent progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Groups such as Justice Democrats and Leaders We Deserve also backed McKinney as part of a broader slate of challengers taking on incumbents across the country this year, reported NBC News.
Thanedar was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, calling for “universal healthcare, workers’ rights, strong labor unions, equity for communities of color, environmental justice, and compassionate immigration” but broke with the Democratic Socialists of America in 2023 — he says he quit, the local chapter says he was expelled — over his condemnation of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
But Thanedar’s real claim to fame has been his regular bouts of Trump Derangement Syndrome, TDS, expressed through the introduction of a bill to impeach President Trump and his regular rants against the President.
"Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy," said Thanedar at the time he filed the bill, without first clearing it with the Democrat leadership.
"His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act,” Thanedar ranted.
"This is not about partisanship. It’s about protecting our democracy and ensuring that no one, not even a President, is above the law," claimed at the time he introduced the resolution to impeach the President.
The resolution included seven articles of impeachment outlining a range of imaginary constitutional violations, including:
- Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Executive Power: Including denial of due process, unlawful deportations, defiance of court orders, and misuse of the Department of Justice.
- Usurpation of Appropriations Power: For dismantling congressionally established agencies and impounding federal funds.
- Abuse of Trade Powers and International Aggression: Including imposing economically damaging tariffs and threatening military invasion against sovereign nations.
- Violation of First Amendment Rights: Through retaliatory actions against critics, media, and attorneys exercising constitutionally protected speech.
- Creation of an Unlawful Office: By establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) and unlawfully empowering Elon Musk to unilaterally violate the Constitution.
- Bribery and Corruption: Involving dismissing criminal cases, soliciting foreign emoluments, and extortionate settlements for personal and political gain.
- Tyrannical Overreach: Seeking to consolidate unchecked power, erode civil liberties, and defy constitutional limits on presidential authority.
Our take at the time was Thanedar’s grandstanding on impeachment and expressions of over-the-top TDS were distractions meant to deflect attention from Thanedar’s questionable campaign fundraising and spending. His campaign has reported losing more than $2 million this year related to its cryptocurrency investments, a relatively uncommon use of campaign money, observed NBC News. And Thanedar was heavily criticized for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to run television ads from his office that look similar to campaign ads.
So, the good news is that one of the Democrats’ craziest TDS patients has been defeated, the bad news is that Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney has an actual agenda beyond acting out the effects of Trump Derangement Syndrome, and its even crazier than Thanedar’s garden-variety Progressivism.
McKinney, a self-described Democratic Socialist, is running on a Far-Left platform including abolishing ICE, “Medicare for All” and putting new restrictions on military aid to Israel, universal child care, while pushing massive investments in sectors such as clean energy and housing through a Green New Deal.
"We deserve a Democratic Party that leads the fight against the billionaires that are robbing us blind. That stands up to corporate PACs. Our country and our children can afford nothing less," McKinney said in a campaign video.
But the crazy isn’t far below the surface for Donovan McKinney, who campaigned with virulent anti-Semite Communist streamer Hasan Piker, and said on his website “Israel needs to immediately end the genocide and release all Palestinians who have been detained, as well as allow the remains to be reunited with the families of their loved ones,” thereby completely inverting what happened on October 7, 2023.
Bridge Detroit reported one of the first issues McKinney hopes to address is to “immediately” overturn the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025.
The bill, he said, “has got to go,” because it has caused “harm and confusion,” whatever that means.
When asked if billionaires “should exist” McKinney said “No. Bottom line? Hell no.”
McKinney also ran a not-so-subtle racist campaign calling for the Michigan District 13 seat, which had been previously held by African-Americans, to be restored to the Black community.
With his embrace of Communist anti-Semite Hasan Piker, calls to eliminate billionaires, abolish ICE, “Medicare for All,” dump Israel, universal child care, massive investments in sectors such as clean energy and housing through a Green New Deal, and embrace of the rest of the Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialist agenda, not-so-subtle racism, and swappiing Jew Derangement Syndrome for Trump Derangement Syndrome, Donovan McKinney may just be crazier than Shri Thanedar, and that’s a lot of crazy.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com. A veteran of over 300 political campaigns, in the course of ten presidential campaigns he served as an event producer and advance representative for some of America’s most recognized conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and Jack Kemp. A member of American MENSA, he served on the House and Senate staff and on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle. Rasley is a graduate of Hanover College and studied international affairs at Oxford University's Worcester College.
