Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Michigan's 13th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search



2022
2018
Michigan's 13th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 8, 2020
Primary: August 4, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent:
Rashida Tlaib (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Michigan's 13th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th
Michigan elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Incumbent Rep. Rashida Tlaib defeated Brenda Jones in the Democratic primary for Michigan's 13th Congressional District on August 4, 2020. Tlaib received 66% of the vote to Jones' 34%.

The race was a rematch. Tlaib and Jones ran against one another in both the regular and special election primaries in 2018. Jones defeated Tlaib in the special primary election 37.7% to 35.9%, while Tlaib defeated Jones in the regular primary 31.2% to 30.2%. Jones completed the term to which John Conyers Jr. had been elected in 2016. Tlaib assumed office in January 2019.

Tlaib was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015. Jones was first elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005 and, as of the 2020 primary election, had served as its president since 2014.

Tlaib is among four congresswomen often referred to as the squad, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.). Tlaib's national profile was a focal point in the race.[1]

Tlaib emphasized that she opened four neighborhood service centers in the district and said her "first term has been about making sure we help solve the immediate issues today while fighting for transformative legislation for decades to come." She highlighted her sponsorship of the BOOST Act—a refundable tax credit bill—and the Automatic Boost to Communities Act—a bill to provide a monthly stipend to every person in America amid COVID-19.

Jones said she worked to increase jobs, improve economic and educational opportunities, and revitalize neighborhoods on the Detroit City Council. She said, "I’m not interested in being a rock star. I’m just interested in bringing home the money, working for the people of the 13th district and uniting the community."[1]

The Detroit-based seat was in a majority-minority district. Conyers Jr. was the longest-serving Black member of Congress as of his resignation in 2017 and a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.[1] Melissa Nann Burke and Christine Ferretti of The Detroit News wrote the following:[2]

Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, made history as one of the two first Muslim women elected to Congress. But Jones' surrogates are pitching their candidate, who is African American, as a better choice to lead the majority-Black district amid a national movement for racial justice. Blacks comprise nearly 54% of the district's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[3]

The Working Families Party and Detroit Action spent $100,000 supporting Tlaib. Holly Otterbein of Politico wrote that the spending was "focused on young Black and Latino voters, and ... expected to highlight [Tlaib's] record on racial justice."[4]

Both candidates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Read their biographies and key messages here. Click candidates' names below to read their full survey responses.

This page focuses on Michigan's 13th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Michigan modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Candidate filing procedures: The petition signature requirements for select primary candidates was reduced to 50 percent of their statutory requirements. The filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8.
  • Voting procedures: Absentee ballot applications sent automatically to all registered voters in the primary election.
  • Political party events: The Democratic Party of Michigan canceled its state convention, originally scheduled for March 21, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib Candidate Connection
 
66.3
 
71,670
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones Candidate Connection
 
33.7
 
36,492

Total votes: 108,162
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Image of Rashida Tlaib

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Submitted Biography "I am the eldest of 14, born and raised in the city of Detroit. I am the child of immigrants and grew up in a union home. My whole life has been dedicated to taken care of others. I've worked in the non-profit space speaking and taking action for vulnerable population and communities. I served in the Michigan Legislature for six years, serving in Democratic Leadership. I am currently the congressmember representing the 13th Congressional District and am running for re-election. I've opened four neighborhood service centers across the district where we've returned over $1 million in social service dollars and assistance back to residents. We've secured a Water is a Human Right Fund during COVID-19, which would deliver $1.5 billion to residents to keep their water on and provide low-income assistance. I wrote a bill that is now a law that will protect vulnerable seniors and retirees from fraud. We have pushed bold legislation on environmental, economic, and racial justice. We have led the fight to hold this President accountable for his unconstitutional actions and actions that continue to harm our communities."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


We have elevated public service. We have opened four neighborhood service centers to provide direct service to constituents. My first term has been about making sure we help solve the immediate issues today while fighting for transformative legislation for decades to come.


Residents of the 13th Congressional District sent a message that they want a representative to push for bold, transformative legislation. We've introduced the BOOST Act, a refundable tax credit that would instantly lift 45% of people out of poverty. We've introduced the Automatic Boost to Communities Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, which would provide monthly stipends to every person in this country to help them get through the challenges of this pandemic. We've also introduced bills on prohibiting medically-necessary debt from being placed on credit reports, to prohibit discriminatory non-driving factors from being used in rate setting for auto insurance companies, and much more.


We've held folks in government and corporations accountable. From the Trump Administration to corporate polluters in our backyards, we've spoken truth to power. We've held two Congressional hearings right here in the district, one on home ownership and the other on environmental injustices. This is the leadership we need in the 13th.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 13 in 2020.

Image of Brenda Jones

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Submitted Biography "In 2018, I won a special election to fill the remainder of the Hon. John Conyers. I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Detroit. I am product of Michigan's public school system. I am an alumna of Cass Technical High School and earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wayne State University. Before beginning my career in public service, I worked for Michigan Bell and was later elected union President of the Communication Workers of America Local 4004 in Detroit, where I represented over 1,000 union members. In November of 2005, I was elected to the Detroit City Council, and in January 2018, I began a third term. Since 2014, I have served as the City Council President working diligently to bring jobs, economic opportunities, neighborhood revitalization, and educational resources to all, positively impacting the quality of life for residents, public safety personnel, senior citizens, small business owners, government employees, veterans, and union members. In addition to my responsibilities with City Council, I am the First Vice-Chair of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and the Michigan Municipal League (MML). Rain or shine, you will find me advocating for hope and positive change in the community. "


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Unite Our Community


Rebuild the District's Economy


Improve Family, Senior and Neighborhood Services

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 13 in 2020.


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Rashida Tlaib Democratic Party $4,093,645 $3,769,569 $391,732 As of December 31, 2020
Brenda Jones Democratic Party $282,120 $281,175 $4,339 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Primaries in Michigan

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[8][9]

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[10]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[11][12][13]

Race ratings: Michigan's 13th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+32, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 32 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Michigan's 13th Congressional District the 21st most Democratic nationally.[14]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.94. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.94 points toward that party.[15]

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Twelve of 83 Michigan counties—14 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Bay County, Michigan 12.55% 5.56% 15.31%
Calhoun County, Michigan 12.46% 1.60% 9.36%
Eaton County, Michigan 4.72% 3.13% 8.40%
Gogebic County, Michigan 14.80% 8.10% 17.27%
Isabella County, Michigan 3.66% 9.28% 19.26%
Lake County, Michigan 22.77% 5.01% 12.28%
Macomb County, Michigan 11.53% 3.99% 8.62%
Manistee County, Michigan 15.29% 5.93% 13.26%
Monroe County, Michigan 21.97% 0.98% 4.35%
Saginaw County, Michigan 1.13% 11.89% 17.34%
Shiawassee County, Michigan 19.59% 3.67% 8.59%
Van Buren County, Michigan 13.92% 0.45% 8.78%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Michigan with 47.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1836 and 2016, Michigan voted Republican 60.8 percent of the time and Democratic 34.7 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Michigan voted Democratic four out of the five elections.[16]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Michigan. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[17][18]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 53 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 37.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 43 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 39.3 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 57 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 12.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 67 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. Trump won eight districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

District election history

2018 regular election

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Rashida Tlaib defeated Sam Johnson and D. Etta Wilcoxon in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib (D)
 
84.2
 
165,355
Image of Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson (Working Class Party)
 
11.3
 
22,186
Image of D. Etta Wilcoxon
D. Etta Wilcoxon (G)
 
4.1
 
7,980
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
778

Total votes: 196,299
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib
 
31.2
 
27,841
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones
 
30.2
 
26,941
Image of Bill Wild
Bill Wild
 
14.1
 
12,613
Image of Coleman Young II
Coleman Young II
 
12.5
 
11,172
Image of Ian Conyers
Ian Conyers
 
6.6
 
5,861
Image of Shanelle Jackson
Shanelle Jackson
 
5.4
 
4,853

Total votes: 89,281
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018 special election

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District special election, 2018

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Brenda Jones defeated Marc Joseph Sosnowski and D. Etta Wilcoxon in the special general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones (D)
 
86.8
 
169,330
Image of Marc Joseph Sosnowski
Marc Joseph Sosnowski (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
 
8.9
 
17,302
Image of D. Etta Wilcoxon
D. Etta Wilcoxon (G)
 
4.3
 
8,319
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
42

Total votes: 194,993
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Brenda Jones defeated Rashida Tlaib, Bill Wild, and Ian Conyers in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones
 
37.7
 
32,769
Image of Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib
 
35.8
 
31,121
Image of Bill Wild
Bill Wild
 
15.2
 
13,174
Image of Ian Conyers
Ian Conyers
 
11.2
 
9,749

Total votes: 86,813
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent John Conyers, Jr. (D) defeated Jeff Gorman (R), Tiffany Hayden (L), and Sam Johnson (Working Class) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Conyers defeated Janice Winfrey in the Democratic primary on August 2, 2016.[19][20][21][22]

U.S. House, Michigan District 13 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Conyers, Jr. Incumbent 77.1% 198,771
     Republican Jeff Gorman 15.7% 40,541
     Libertarian Tiffany Hayden 3.7% 9,648
     Working Class Sam Johnson 3.4% 8,835
     N/A Write-in 0% 2
Total Votes 257,797
Source: Michigan Secretary of State


U.S. House, Michigan District 13 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Conyers Jr. Incumbent 60.8% 30,971
Janice Winfrey 39.2% 19,965
Total Votes 50,936
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

2014

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 13th Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. John Conyers, Jr. (D) defeated Jeff Gorman (R), Sam Johnson (I) and Chris Sharer (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Michigan District 13 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Conyers, Jr. Incumbent 79.5% 132,710
     Republican Jeff Gorman 16.3% 27,234
     Libertarian Chris Sharer 2.1% 3,537
     Independent Sam Johnson 2.1% 3,466
Total Votes 166,947
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The New York Times, "Race Takes Center Stage as Rashida Tlaib Faces Primary Challenge,' July 18, 2020
  2. The Detroit News, "Sparks fly between Tlaib, Jones in heated Democratic congressional rematch," updated July 23, 2020
  3. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. Politico, "Tlaib getting help from Working Families Party super PAC," July 23, 2020
  5. Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  6. Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  7. Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  8. NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
  9. Michigan.gov, "Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary," accessed October 7, 2024
  10. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  11. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  12. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  13. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  14. Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  15. FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  16. 270towin.com, "Michigan," accessed June 29, 2017
  17. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  18. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  19. Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed April 20, 2016
  20. Politico, "Michigan House Primaries Results," August 2, 2016
  21. Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed September 6, 2016
  22. CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (7)