Young II Officially Launches Bid to Replace Conyers in Congress
A battle of names? Coleman Young II, son of ex-Detroit Mayor, will vie for U.S. House vs. relative of ex-U.S. Rep. John Conyers.
Michigan state Senator Coleman Young II, fresh from a losing bid to become mayor of Detroit, is formally launching a bid for the Congressional seat left vacant after John Conyers resigned last week.
Conyers resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment, creating an opening in the U.S. House that the Detroit Democrat had filled for the past half-century.
Enter Young II, a term-limited legislator who says his experience as a state senator makes him an ideal candidate to replace Conyers.
Young lost big to incumbent Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan last month.
But he says making a bid for Congress is a far cry from running for mayor.
“Obviously this is a different race. We’re talking about an open seat, whereas before we were talking about an established incumbent. So it’s a totally different race and I think we’ll do a lot better this time around,” Young says.
He vows that his defeat in the recent mayoral election will actually help him become a better overall candidate.
Young says, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. We’re gonna be broader, we’re gonna outreach more. We’re gonna have a more inclusive campaign.”
Young, the son of Detroit’s first black mayor, focused on the needs of the city’s neighborhoods in his bid for the top job at City Hall.
But he must now woo voters in a 13th Congressional District that includes portions of Detroit and several suburban areas.
Young joins what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates.
The list already includes the great-nephew of John Conyers, Michigan state Senator Ian Conyers.
