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.

Abandoned animals and spiked supplements: Business ethics controversies

Summary: Significant ethical controversies emerged during Shri Thanedar's gubernatorial campaign. These include:

• the 2010 abandonment of approximately 170 test animals (beagles and monkeys) at his AniClin laboratory after bankruptcy proceedings, which required rescue workers to climb fences to care for the animals until they could be adopted
• a 2013 incident where his company Avomeen allegedly failed to report the discovery of Viagra in an over-the-counter supplement to the FDA.
• a federal lawsuit claiming Thanedar fraudulently inflated his company's value before selling his majority stake for $20 million in 2016, funds he later used to finance his campaign.

Throughout these controversies, Thanedar maintained his innocence, blaming Bank of America for the animal situation and denying any wrongdoing in both the supplement testing and company valuation cases.

Details

During his gubernatorial campaign, Thanedar faced scrutiny over his business practices. In 2010, when one of his laboratories, AniClin Preclinical Services, was repossessed by Bank of America during bankruptcy proceedings, more than 170 beagles and monkeys used for chemical testing were left without proper arrangements for their care. According to USA Today reports from the time, workers had to climb fences to feed and care for the animals until animal welfare organizations eventually arranged adoptions for them.

Local animal rights activists learned in June 2010 that 118 beagles were still stuck inside the facility. Two animal welfare groups teamed up to find homes for the beagles and were finally able to take them from the shuttered lab on July 4 to shelters, where they would be matched with adoptive families. Even before the beagles were abandoned, they led lonely lives in small plexiglass crates where they were subject to toxicology tests. According to rescue workers, many of the dogs had never been outside before their rescue.

Becky Tegze, executive director of Pets Alive animal rescue, told the Free Press that when the beagles arrived at her facility, "they certainly were not emaciated dogs," though "some (of their) nails were overgrown." However, "at the time we were told former employees were jumping fences and going in and taking care of them," Tegze said.

In addition to the dogs, the California-based group In Defense of Animals rescued 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys that had been left in the shuttered AniClin testing facility. A July 25, 2010, report in the Eastern Express Times of Pennsylvania quoted Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of the Primarily Primates Sanctuary, as saying 25 male Java macaque monkeys looked pale and thin when they arrived at the sanctuary, and the stress had led many of them to pull out some of their hair.

Thanedar denied responsibility, stating that the lab was under the control of Bank of America, which seized it when he declared bankruptcy. "I have no knowledge how well the bank took care of the animals," he said. Thanedar confirmed he was the 100% owner and chairman of the board of AniClin, which was part of the Azopharma group of companies owned by Thanedar that were placed in receivership by Bank of America and liquidated in 2010 to settle debts of $24 million. He later issued a statement saying, "It is my understanding that Bank of America made arrangements to assign caretakers for the animals and secure homes for them, but those decisions came from the bank after I left the company."

In another controversy, an over-the-counter male enhancement supplement, S.W.A.G. ("Sex With A Grudge"), that Thanedar's company Avomeen tested in 2013, was later revealed to contain Viagra. An employee of Thanedar's told the Detroit News in March that he had notified Thanedar when he found the traces of Viagra in the drug, but Thanedar did not report it to the Food and Drug Administration. The employee then notified the FDA on his own.

Thanedar claimed that it was his obligation to test the drugs and inform his clients of the rules, not to inform the federal government about client misconduct. "We told them you have to report it. It's illegal to do that," Thanedar told HuffPost. "That was the extent of my obligation."

Thanedar also faced a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, where attorneys for Avomeen Holdings alleged Thanedar made "fraudulent and misleading representations" about the chemical testing company's finances when he sold a majority stake in the business for about $20 million in November 2016. "Thanedar presented Avomeen as a company with a stable, consistent, and growing revenue profile," the lawsuit reads. "In reality, Avomeen's monthly revenues were inflated and highly variable."

The lawsuit claimed the Ann Arbor Democrat was misleading in his presentation of the company and "successfully, but fraudulently" encouraged the buyers to pay more for his stake in the company than it was worth. In a text message to The Detroit News, Thanedar wrote: "I patently deny every claim contained in this document and intend to fight it...Because this is a pending legal matter, I am prohibited from saying more at this time." The lawsuit sought a jury trial and unspecified damages.

These controversies emerged as Thanedar had spent millions of dollars on campaign advertisements presenting himself as the most progressive candidate in the race. Thanedar announced his campaign for governor in April and had since put millions of his own money into his campaign.

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."

Hindu Nationalism Advocacy and Controversies

Summary: Thanedar has been criticized for his connections to Hindu nationalist groups and his support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. He has established a controversial Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain Congressional Caucus, escorted Modi during his address to Congress, and has aligned himself with Hindu right-wing advocacy organizations like the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA). Thanedar has been associated with Hindu nationalist advocacy activities in the United States, including supporting controversial positions on issues like caste discrimination and defending Modi's government against criticism of its human rights record. He has been accused of working with Hindu right-wing advocacy organizations that target critics of Hindu nationalism and those who highlight the persecution of religious minorities in India.

Details

Thanedar has been identified as a "champion" of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a self-proclaimed Hindu hardliner. In June 2023, he was one of the lawmakers who escorted Modi when he visited Washington, D.C. to address a joint session of Congress, stating at the time: "I am very proud of PM Modi. He is enormously popular. I am looking forward to working with him to broaden and deepen our relationship."

Thanedar has faced criticism from South Asian American civil rights groups for his role in forming a Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain American Congressional Caucus (also called the "Dharma Caucus"). The caucus was initially labeled a "Hindu Caucus" according to a memo from his office, but was later expanded to include other Dharmic religions. Critics argue that the caucus was formed without consulting major groups representing those communities and may function as "a vehicle for Hindu nationalist policies."

In February 2023, when Prime Minister Modi arrived in Washington to discuss U.S.-India relations, Thanedar expressed hope that then-President Donald Trump would cooperate with Modi rather than strain ties with "one of America's closest allies." He urged against imposing tariffs and engaging in trade wars that would "drive wedges between us and our allies and harm our position as the leader of the free world."

Thanedar has also been criticized for his support of Modi despite concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in India. Advocates for Muslim South Asians and those born into caste-oppressed communities have warned that Modi's rhetoric and policies have fomented Hindu nationalist sentiments and led to violence against minorities.

In February 2024, Thanedar received criticism when the Metro Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) revealed they had voted to expel him more than a month prior because of his close relationship with Modi. The DSA claimed that "Thanedar's views are not, and have never been, representative of Detroit DSA," and described his later public renunciation of his DSA membership as "a selfish distraction."

In July 2022, Thanedar was the only Indian American US lawmaker who attended a "Hindu advocacy day on Capitol Hill" organized by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA). CoHNA has been characterized as "a Marietta, Georgia-based Hindu right-wing advocacy organization known for targeting critics of Hindu nationalism and those who highlight the persecution of religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians in India." It has been accused of supporting "the discriminatory policies of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)" and engaging "in campaigns targeting academics and politicians who call attention to the dangers of Hindu nationalism."

In October 2023, Muslim businessman Quaid Saifee of Detroit requested a refund of his $1,000 campaign donation to Thanedar after learning of the congressman's support for Modi. Saifee stated, "I did not want to donate to someone championing Modi and Hindutva in the US," referring to the Hindu nationalist ideology.

Thanedar has also received substantial funding from pro-Israel lobbying groups while simultaneously maintaining ties with Hindu nationalist organizations. Since September 2023, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has donated over $96,000 to Thanedar's campaign, despite his previous co-sponsorship of a Michigan House resolution describing Israel as an "apartheid state" in 2021. Critics have noted ideological connections between Zionism and Hindutva (Hindu nationalism), suggesting that both movements are finding common ground in supporting certain American politicians.