WASHINGTON — Detroit U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is endorsing a state lawmaker who is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, a fellow Democrat who represents the district next door to hers in Congress.

Tlaib on Monday said she is backing state Rep. Donavan McKinney’s bid for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District and also took a dig at the two-term Thanedar, saying his constituents deserve better representation.

“Centering community not only means standing up to corporate donors and lobbyists, but also means fighting to address community needs through robust community services and responsive representation. This type of leadership is missing for residents in the 13th, and I know Donavan will bring it — I’ve already seen him do so as State Representative,” Tlaib said in a statement.

“I’m proud to have Donavan’s back because I know he’ll always have Michiganders’ backs — and because I know when it comes to real representation, Michigan’s 13th district deserves better.”

McKinney, first elected in 2022, launched his bid for the U.S. House two weeks ago. His campaign said Tlaib's endorsement is the first congressional endorsement of a Democratic primary challenger against an incumbent in any race this cycle.

McKinney also has the backing of the progressive group Justice Democrats, which helped elect Tlaib and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York, and the endorsements of 14 current and former state lawmakers, many of them representing parts of Thanedar’s district, which covers a swath of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes and Downriver communities in Wayne County. Tlaib represents the 12th District, which includes part of Detroit's west side, parts of the western Wayne County suburbs and a section of Oakland County, including Southfield and Beverly Hills.

It's relatively unusual for a sitting member of Congress to endorse a challenger to another member of Congress from their own party and within the Michigan delegation.

The most recent prior case in Michigan happened after the redistricting process, when Democratic Reps. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township were drawn together into the 11th District. Retiring U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Southfield backed Stevens in the 2022 primary.

"Any time an individual congressperson endorses an individual besides their incumbent colleague, that will raise eyebrows and draw a lot of attention," Democratic consultant Mario Morrow said.

"This is excellent for McKinney for fundraising. But there will be other people entering this race because Mr. McKinney is not a household name. ... The interesting thing is she’s doing it early, which is sending a message to Shri Thanedar that, 'We’re coming after you.'"

Tlaib has publicly criticized Thanedar previously, most notably in the fall of 2023 when she said the congressman was “busy posting memes,” while his residents were calling her office asking for my assistance because "he is absent from doing his job."

McKinney in a Monday statement said, “it's about time those constituents have a congressman that answers their calls, and Rep. Tlaib has a real partner in serving our communities.”

Thanedar, a former state lawmaker, has defended his record in recent weeks, saying his office resolved more than 2,800 constituent problems, recovered $3 million for constituents, and delivered "world-class constituent communication,” including over a dozen in-person town halls. He's also a formidable Democratic primary opponent, willing to sink millions of his personal fortune into his campaigns. He touts winning Detroit, or the parts of his district that include Detroit, in his last seven elections, including primaries.

"Constituents in MI-13 know the truth. They can call my office and get a live person. We're available 24/7 on my website. Every month, we get several calls from residents of MI-12, and we either solve the problem or direct them to their representative," Thanedar said Monday in a statement.

"We've solved 3,000 cases and recovered over $3.7 million for constituents. That's why Detroit voted for me seven times in a row, and that's why I know voters in the 13th will send me back to D.C. for my third term."

Tlaib and Thanedar also have clashed over Israel. Tlaib has long criticized the Israeli government and called for an end to U.S. security aid and weapons sales to Israel, while Thanedar has become a supporter of Israel. His last campaign was supported by pro-Israel lobby groups.

Thanedar remains the favorite to win the Democratic primary, in part because it's tough to take out an incumbent and even more so when multiple contenders jump in and compete for the anti-incumbent vote, Morrow and other analysts said.

In addition to McKinney, former state Sen. Adam Hollier of Detroit has launched a campaign in the 13th District. Based on recent history, others are likely to also run for the seat.

Tlaib's endorsement could matter for the race because she's a sitting member of Congress with a vast fundraising network that goes beyond Michigan and because she previously represented portions of Detroit and Wayne County that Thanedar now represents.

"It may assist him as a signaling exercise to help him raise small-dollar contributions. He starts at a massive name ID deficit against the incumbent and, to the extent that this helps him with that, it’s probably net helpful," said Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of the firm Grassroots Midwest.

"Truth be told, we’re so far away from this election. And McKinney has never had to raise money at the clip that’s going to be required to knock off an incumbent member of Congress in a primary."

However, Thanedar's "idiosyncrasies" could make him vulnerable in a primary, argued Jacob Rubashkin who analyzes House races for the Inside Elections newsletter.

Neither of his primary wins have been particularly impressive, especially last year when, as an incumbent, he barely cleared 50% against two candidates whom he had outspent by a combined 19-to-1 ratio, Rubashkin. However, Thanedar benefited from a fractured field in the previous two primary elections because Michigan only requires a plurality win to secure the nomination.

"With the presence of two well-funded, high-profile opponents — McKinney and Hollier — Thanedar starts in a better position than he would if he were facing off against just one or the other," Rubashkin said.

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