Through the primary election on August 2 on the MLC Blog we will highlight races for which the primary is the key race due to the voter base.  Candidate’s website and professional information is listed when available.

District Overview

The 13^th Congressional District is located in southeast Michigan and includes a portion of Wayne County, including part of the City of Detroit. The district has a strong 77.7% Democratic base; thus, the winner of the Democratic primary is all but assured to win this November.

Commentary

This district is focused on the Democratic primary race, which in typical southeast Michigan fashion is full. It includes numerous, qualified candidates, including state and local elected officials, multiple attorneys, and more than one candidate who worked in the White House. Whoever wins this tough primary race will almost certainly win the general election, also.

Democratic Candidates:

• • John Conyers III – Hedge fund manager, son of former longtime Congressman John Conyers II.
  • Sherry Gay-Dagnogo – Member of the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education, former state representative, former Detroit Public School science teacher and community organizer.
  • Michael Griffie – Civil rights attorney, former teacher, worked with Teach for America.
  • Senator Adam Hollier – State senator, serves in the U.S. Army Reserves, former legislative staffer and worked for Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.
  • Angela McIntosh – Insurance agency owner
  • Sharon McPhail – Worked as an attorney for the Wayne County District Courts, a Assistant United States Attorney, as staff counsel for Ford Motor Company, and in private practice. Former president of the National Bar Association, chairperson and member of the Detroit Branch of the N.A.A.C.P. and appointed by President Clinton to participate on the Senior Advisory Council to the transition team cluster group for justice and civil rights.
  • Sam Riddle
  • Portia Roberson – Attorney, president and CEO of a non-profit, chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, served in the Obama Administration as Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison and as Detroit lead for the White House Domestic Policy Office’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative, former chair of the Detroit Police and Fire Pension Board.
  • Lorrie Rutledge
  • Representative Shri Thanedar – State representative, former research scholar, small business owner.
  • Adrian Tonon –Former Director of Customer Service for the City of Detroit and 24-Hour economy ambassador, ran his family’s restaurant.

Republican Candidate:

• • Martell Bivings
  • Articia Bomer
  • Vance Patrick

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.