The many shades of 'Detroit Democrats'
Almost everyone is a Democrat in the city of Detroit, but different ideologies are becoming more distinct thanks to a deep resentment of the political establishment.
The kind of Democrat that votes in Detroit, an overwhelmingly Democratic city, aren’t usually the Democratic Socialist type.
Sure, socialists have been elected in Detroit’s past (see Ken Cockrel, Shiela Murphy and Justin Ravitz in the 70s and 80s), but ask Black power brokers what they think of Zohran Mamdani or Rashida Tlaib — you’re likely to get an answer that sounds like it’s coming from Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams.
True Blue Democrats dominate here — though Republicans did gain 19,667 voters in the city of Detroit during the last election — and for good reason.
Black Democrats from Detroit fought hard for leadership positions in Congress and recognition by the Democratic establishment that they have since earned.
I overheard U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, telling Black voters she shook hands with at the state convention back in February they’re the “backbone” of the Democratic Party. Stevens, viewed as Michigan’s moderate U.S. Senate candidate, on Monday earned the support of Michigan’s first Black House Speaker, Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit.
Tate is a moderate, who wasn’t able to bring together the progressive and conservative wing of his caucus on legislation that required a Democratic majority in the final days of session. He told me in May was running for U.S. Senate, despite an already crowded field, to ensure Detroiters voices were heard during the election cycle.
He dropped his bid 89 days after announcing.
From ‘ugly words’ to effective tool
It makes sense that Black voters in Detroit are loyal to the party’s establishment.
Since the historical shift of the African American voting bloc from the Republican to the Democratic Party, which historians say began in the 1930s and cemented after the Civil Rights movement, Black voters gained tremendous influence within the party.
It was after all, Black Democrat Rep. Jim Clyburn’s vote of confidence that pushed former President Joe Biden past Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary election in South Carolina and subsequent primaries across the country.
In November, Detroiters will elect a new Democratic mayor; A megachurch pastor or a much younger city council president whose dad is also a pastor — and so is she.
And in two council districts (D6, D7), Black and Hispanic voters will decide what kind of Democrat they want to represent them.
Their options? Two Democratic Socialists in their mid-30s, or two corporate-backed state legislators in their late-50s and early-60s.
The two leftists are Denzel McCampbell of District 7, and incumbent council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero of District 6. The two state legislators are Reps. Tyrone Carter and Karen Whitsett.
“Democratic Socialist or Progressive had become ugly words in the Democratic Party,” Santiago-Romero told me after Mamdani’s primary victory in June.
Santiago-Romero was elected in 2021, promising to be a progressive champion and representative of Southwest Detroit’s majority Spanish-speaking community. She told me in an interview that DSA leaders are encouraging candidate members to be proud of the values that come with the title of Democratic Socialist.
Perhaps its easier to hold the title as Democratic Party popularity hit record lows.
The most recent election suggests it is losing key parts of its base. Republicans saw huge gains among young people, Black and Latino Americans in the last presidential election.
The Democratic establishment received another blow earlier this year in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist back-bencher assemblyman, defeated Andrew Cuomo, a former governor.
The day after Mamdani’s primary win, McCampbell, a former city charter commissioner and communications director for Tlaib, told me Mamdani succeeded because he focused on delivering direct needs.
A changing city
“What we saw in New York City is a campaign talked about housing, transportation and just making things affordable for folks to live, that’s what my city council campaign has been about and it’s been receptive,” McCampbell said.
Two months later, McCampbell pulled off the surprise of Detroit’s municipal primary, defeating State Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, a lawmaker with deep roots in District 7, where she currently represents in the state House.
He took 34% of the vote to Whitsett’s 33%. McCampbell also finished nine percentage points above District 7 candidate Regina Ross, who lost to outgoing council member Fred Durhal III by dozens of votes in 2021.
Cara Tobe, a national organizer with Democratic Socialists of America, told me Democratic Socialists powered McCampbell’s win.
“We ran their field and phone banking operation and handled a lot of their volunteer outreach, and in general were a key part of his strategy team,” Tobe said of McCampbell’s campaign. “We made over 23,000 dials to the district, and knocked over 16,000 doors. He’s been a member for years.”
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