Shri Thanedar

"He is an egomaniac looking for attention. There's no grand political strategy here, other than to get elected. There's no ideology here."

"Whichever party gives me the best chance": The party affiliation controversy

Summary Shri Thanedar's 2018 Michigan gubernatorial campaign was marked by controversy over his political authenticity and business ethics. Despite self-branding as "the most progressive Democrat" in the race, multiple political consultants alleged that Thanedar initially didn't know which party to run with, telling them he would adopt whatever positions would help him win. His campaign was substantially self-funded, with Thanedar spending nearly $11.5 million of his personal fortune derived from the sale of his chemical testing businesses. These businesses themselves became campaign liabilities, with allegations ranging from abandoning laboratory animals during bankruptcy proceedings to overlooking dangerous substances in products his company tested. Though initially leading in some polls due to extensive advertising, Democratic establishment figures expressed alarm about his candidacy, with one consultant describing him as "an egomaniac looking for attention" with "no ideology." Thanedar ultimately placed third in the Democratic primary with 17.7% of the vote, behind Gretchen Whitmer and Abdul El-Sayed.

Details

In April 2018, The Intercept published an article in which four political consultants claimed that Thanedar was undecided about which party to run with when he first explored a gubernatorial bid in early 2017. According to these sources, Thanedar considered running as a Republican, Democrat, or independent. Adrian Hemond, CEO of the bipartisan consulting firm Grassroots Midwest, stated that during a meeting Thanedar "said he didn't care" which party he ran with and wanted to choose "whichever side we thought he had the best chance to win on."

Dan McMaster, a Republican consultant who attended the meeting with Hemond, claimed Thanedar appeared willing to adopt policy positions based on political expediency rather than conviction. Regarding abortion rights, McMaster stated that Thanedar "said he was comfortable with whatever position he needed to adopt to get the best chance to win." On gun control and other issues, Hemond reported that Thanedar expressed similar flexibility in his positions.

Joe DiSano, a Democratic consultant, similarly reported that Thanedar was initially uncertain about his party affiliation and claimed that DiSano had to explain to him why running as an independent would be impractical in Michigan. Rob Fowler, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan, also stated that Thanedar seemed undecided about his party affiliation during their early meetings.

Thanedar denied these allegations, insisting that he had "always been a Democrat" and that he was being smeared by political opponents. However, emails obtained by Politico showed that Thanedar had personally reached out to both Democratic and Republican consultants in early 2017, apparently open to advice from both parties. In one email dated January 26, 2017, Thanedar personally contacted Hemond, McMaster, and Brian Began, sending them links to articles about his business success "as a way of introduction."

Thanedar heavily self-financed his campaign, initially pledging $6 million of his personal fortune and ultimately spending nearly $11.5 million of his own money on the race. This massive self-funding allowed him to dominate television advertising among Democratic candidates for much of the primary campaign, beginning with a Super Bowl commercial in February 2018. Until June 2018, with less than two months until the primary, Thanedar was the only Democratic gubernatorial candidate airing television ads.

McMaster, the Republican consultant, dismissed Thanedar after their meeting, saying, "I laughed when he walked out the door, because a fool and their money part ways often, and that was my impression."

Critics argued that Thanedar's ability to buy extensive media coverage gave him an unfair advantage and allowed him to shape public perception without the vetting process that typically accompanies major party support. Kelly Collison, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, expressed concern that "he can buy this ad space and say that he is... the only progressive, or whatever—which is complete bullshit. That terrifies me because so many people are so busy that they don't have time to do all the research, and it's definitely possible he could buy this election."

Despite branding himself as a "fiscally savvy Bernie" and claiming to be "the most progressive Democrat running for governor," Thanedar's progressive credentials were called into serious question. Financial records showed that in March 2008, he donated $2,300 (the legal maximum) to Republican John McCain's presidential campaign. Thanedar claimed this donation was merely to attend an event where he could ask McCain about immigration policy, not an endorsement.

Thanedar also donated $75 to conservative Republican Jim Talent's 2000 gubernatorial run in Missouri and $250 to Republican Bobby Jindal's 2003 gubernatorial run in Louisiana. When questioned about these contributions, Thanedar replied in an email, "In the last 10 years, I have given approximately 93 percent of my donations to Democrats."

Critics also pointed to C-SPAN footage showing Thanedar attending a campaign rally for Republican Senator Marco Rubio during the 2016 presidential primaries, where he was seen "nodding and applauding the Florida senator's conservative message and attacks on Hillary Clinton"—and ultimately introducing himself to Rubio and asking for a photo. Additionally, Thanedar's self-published memoir, The Blue Suitcase, venerated Ayn Rand's character Howard Roark from The Fountainhead as "an exemplar of American individualism"—a figure often associated with libertarian or conservative philosophy rather than progressive values.

Democratic consultant Joe DiSano claimed that in private discussions, Thanedar expressed "disdain for 'progressives'" and "Bernie Sanders in particular," specifically objecting to Sanders's tax proposals. DiSano alleged that Thanedar was concerned about potentially paying high taxes on profits from selling his company under Sanders's tax plans, quoting Thanedar as saying "under Sanders, he would pay 90 percent of his profit."

Despite claiming to have been a Sanders supporter in the 2016 primary, Thanedar made no financial contributions to Sanders's campaign, leading Collison to question, "I mean, you're a millionaire and Bernie was obviously the underdog. If you supported him, why would you not donate to him?"

Despite his significant self-funding and early lead in some polls, Thanedar ultimately placed third in the Democratic primary on August 7, 2018, receiving 17.7% of the vote. Gretchen Whitmer won the nomination with 52.0%, while Abdul El-Sayed received 30.2%.

Following his loss in the gubernatorial primary, Thanedar remained involved in Michigan politics. In 2020, he successfully ran for state representative in Michigan's 3rd district (Detroit), winning the Democratic primary in a crowded field with just 35.1% of the vote and going on to win the general election in the heavily Democratic district.

Unprecedented level of taxpayer-funded advertising

Summary In 2023-2024, Rep. Shri Thanedar came under intense scrutiny for his office's unprecedented level of taxpayer-funded promotional spending, particularly as he faced a competitive primary challenge. The controversy highlighted Thanedar's continued pattern of using his personal and public resources for self-promotion in ways that raised ethical concerns.

Details

An investigation by The Detroit News in spring 2024 revealed that Thanedar was "flooding airwaves in the Detroit market with a whopping $789,000 in taxpayer-funded TV ads reserved for this month alone and another $40,000 in radio advertisements." These expenditures represented about 44% of Thanedar's entire $1.9 million office budget for the year.

Beyond the TV and radio ads, Thanedar's office spent at least $45,460 on billboards throughout his district, featuring his smiling face with messaging like "REACH CONGRESSMAN SHRI 24/7." Records showed that in 2023, Thanedar led all 435 U.S. House members in spending on printing, reproduction, advertising and franked mail costs, totaling $553,000. His $327,000 expenditure on advertisements alone was approximately ten times the average $30,800 spent by House members who reported any ad expenses.

Critics noted the suspicious timing of this massive advertising push. The TV and radio ads were set to air for five weeks in spring 2024, running right up to the edge of the blackout period for mass communications that starts 60 days before primary elections (June 7 for the August 6 primary). This timing coincided with Thanedar facing two high-profile primary challengers - former state Sen. Adam Hollier and Detroit City Council member Mary Waters.

House records revealed that Thanedar's taxpayer-funded payments to billboard companies began in October 2023, after it had become clear that he would face a challenge from Hollier, whom Thanedar had previously defeated in the 2022 Democratic primary.

Republican strategist Jamie Roe, who spent nearly 14 years as chief of staff to retired U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, called Thanedar's spending "a ridiculous amount of your budget to spend on the frank," adding, "That's just nothing but politics. I don't know how you hire quality staff if you use that much of your budget on franking... You can't have an effective team if you're blowing that much of your budget on self-promotion."

Adam Hollier, Thanedar's primary challenger, criticized the incumbent for using "hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to promote himself while families across Wayne County struggle to pay the bills," calling it "an unprecedented and unethical use of our hard-earned money." Hollier suggested the House Ethics Committee should investigate the expenditures.

Staffing concerns

Former staffers reported that Thanedar's excessive spending on self-promotion came at the expense of adequate office staffing, potentially impacting constituent services. While the average House office spent 78% of its budget on staff compensation in 2023, Thanedar spent just 38%. Meanwhile, he spent 31.4% on printing and reproduction, nearly ten times the House average of 3.4%.

Two former staffers claimed that Thanedar had not hired enough staff to handle the increased constituent casework generated by his advertising blitz. Deaja Todd, who worked for Thanedar as a constituent advocate from January 2023 through February 2024, told The Detroit News, "We weren't able to do our jobs because we were so short-staffed, and the call volume was so high... In leaving, I felt horrible for my constituents because I know they really do need the help."

Thanedar's defense

Thanedar defended his spending practices, attributing the high level of advertising to Michigan's 2022 redistricting, which created confusion about which representative served which areas. "My office received calls from constituents of neighboring congresswomen and vice versa," he told Business Insider. "To address this, we significantly ramped up our outreach efforts through various media."

He further insisted the communications had proven effective, claiming his office had "quadrupled constituent calls" in the previous year and resolved 84% of more than 1,400 constituent cases. Thanedar maintained that "no one has yet complained about" his communications approach, stating, "People are telling me that in 20 years no congressperson has ever communicated like this before. People are loving it."