Councilwoman Mary Waters enters 13th District congressional race

Waters announced her bid for the Democratic nomination at a press conference in front of Hamtramck City Hall.

Detroit Councilwoman Mary Water announced her campaign to represent Michigan's 13th Congressional District on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.

Detroit Councilwoman Mary Water announced her campaign to represent Michigan's 13th Congressional District on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.

Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters is entering the race to represent Michigan’s 13th Congressional District in Washington. Running as a Democrat, Waters will be up against incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar and former Michigan State Senator Adam Hollier for the party’s nomination in the August primary.

Both Thander and Hollier, who announced his campaign last year, have a head start on Mary Waters in campaign funding. Hollier has $400,000 on-hand, while the largely self-funded Thanedar has $2.6 million banked for re-election.

Waters said she’s entering the race because she feels her work ethic is right to represent the region on Capitol Hill.

“I demonstrated that when I was in Lansing as a state representative,” she said. “And on city council I’ve been working very hard.”

Waters added that she’ll be balancing her campaign with her current duties on the Detroit City Council.

“And when the community summons me as a Detroit City Councilmember, I’ll be there taking care of business,” she said. “But then other times, on the weekends in particular, a lot of times I’ll be campaigning.”

If elected to Congress, Waters says she would fight to increase social security, protect the environment and reduce crime in neighborhoods. She supports a ceasefire in Gaza — adding that she would be in favor of decreasing the Pentagon’s budget.

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Author

  • Alex McLenon
    Alex McLenon is a Reporter with 101.9 WDET. McLenon is a graduate of Wayne State University, where he studied Media Arts & Production and Broadcast Journalism.