Detroit City Council member Mary Waters has been bounced from the Aug. 4 ballot in the 13th Congressional District Democratic primary in Wayne County.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office listed Waters as disqualified on its website Tuesday in the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Detroit, state Rep. Donavan McKinney of Detroit and John Goci of Northville.
The Secretary of State’s office directed questions Tuesday about the disqualification to the Wayne County clerk’s office.
Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett’s office did not immediately respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment on why Waters had been disqualified.
Waters said Tuesday she was informed there was a problem with the number of voter signatures on her nominating petitions. She said she was appealing.
Waters appealed the petition disqualification decision to the state Bureau of Elections, said Sam May, a spokeswoman for Benson’s office.
“It’s under review,” Waters told The Detroit News.
Waters, an at-large councilwoman who was just reelected last fall, ran unsuccessfully against Thanedar in the 2024 Democratic primary. She has served on the Detroit City Council since 2022 and was previously a state representative.
Her departure from the ballot would mean less competition for votes for McKinney and Thanedar, a wealthy entrepreneur who has largely self-funded his campaigns for Congress. Goci is a virtual unknown who doesn’t live in the Detroit-centered congressional district.
McKinney has racked up several endorsements from prominent Black leaders in Wayne County, hoping to unseat Thanedar in a heavily Democratic district. McKinney has also been endorsed by progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Michigan’s 13th District covers a swath of Detroit, Downriver communities and the Grosse Pointes.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit councilwoman disqualified from Democratic primary ballot
Reporting by Chad Livengood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
