MEDIA

Date updated: June 2, 2026

Shri Thanedar is Michigan’s Trump. Donavan McKinney is a working-class champion who will take on Trump, Shri, and their corporate donors to fight for the people.

Summary: Growing up poor in Northeast Detroit, Donavan saw firsthand how hard it was for working families to make ends meet. In Lansing, he has fought to lower costs for Detroiters and hold DTE accountable for hiking energy bills. In Congress, Donavan will always refuse corporate PAC money, fight for Medicare for all, stop big corporations from enriching themselves at our expense, and stand up to Trump at every turn. That is why he is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and former Rep. Brenda Lawrence. 

Called Michigan’s Trump, Shri Thanedar will say and do anything to get power or enrich himself, including voting with Trump and taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Trump’s donors. While ICE terrorizes communities nationwide, Shri is bankrolled by ICE contractors, and just last year, as ICE arrest rates doubled in Detroit, he even voted to “thank ICE.” As a State Rep., he said he was against sending weapons to Israel, but now he adopts whatever position AIPAC and their donors need him to have so he can keep them on his side.

Michigan is a heavy absentee vote state, and voters need to read and see on the go about Donavan McKinney before they cast their ballots. Ballots drop in week 6 on June 25th. We expect up to a third of the votes will likely be cast via absentee ballot by week 1.

Additional information for read & validators coming week 9. 

Core Goals:

  • Very Early (Weeks 11-9)

    • Voters under 50 and voters searching for information need to see on the go and on social media our positive message, and that Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rashida Tlaib have endorsed Donavan McKinney.

  • Early (Weeks 8-6, NOTE: Week 6 is start of absentee voting)

    • Voters under 50 and voters searching for information need to see on the go and on social media our positive message, and that Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rashida Tlaib have endorsed Donavan McKinney.

    • Likely absentee Democratic primary voters need to read and see on the go our contrast message.

  • Middle (Weeks 5-3)

    • All likely voters need to see on the go our contrast message.

    • Likely absentee Democratic primary voters need to read our contrast message.

  • Late (Weeks 2-0)

    • Likely voters need to see on the go our contrast message.

    • Likely absentee Democratic primary voters need to read our contrast message.


Key Targets:

  • Democratic primary voters who have requested an absentee ballot

  • 1 of 3 Black Democratic primary voters

  • 1 of 3 White Democratic primary voters

  • Democratic primary voters under 50 who have voted in any election in the last 4 years

  • Progressives who support local and national progressives on social media

  • Key zip codes HERE

Key Citations:

Assets: