Democratic voters in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District have a choice in the 2026 primary election: re-elect incumbent Rashida Tlaib or pick someone new.

Tlaib is seeking her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She’ll have to defeat two challengers whose names appear on the August ballot. One is former state lawmaker Shanelle Jackson of Detroit. The other is Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen.

WDET’s Pat Batcheller asked the candidates why they’re running. Tlaib says she loves her constituents and wants to keep serving them.

“They want somebody that’s unbought and unapologetic,” she says. “Getting people through everyday challenges and issues is as important as any bill I could ever pass because it changed lives immediately.”

Who is Rashida Tlaib?

Tlaib was born and raised in Detroit, the eldest of 14 children whose ancestors are Palestinian.

“I was always protecting my siblings and even my mother as I would translate for her at the cashier counter,” she says.

Tlaib put herself through law school, worked at the Sugar Law Center, and served in the Michigan House of Representatives for six years. She became interested in politics as an aide to her legislative predecessor, Steve Tobocman.

“He said, ‘I’ll teach you how to kill a bill,'” she recalls. “When he was term-limited out, he asked me to run.”

She’s not shy

As a state lawmaker, and then as a congresswoman, Tlaib has been outspoken on many issues, such as immigration. Many of her constituents are immigrants who live in southwest Detroit, where she grew up. She also represents Dearborn, which has a large Arab American and Muslim population. Tlaib has criticized the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants regardless of their legal status. She wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We’re getting complaints over and over that they’re deporting U.S. citizens,” she says. “We can have a comprehensive, very humane, and fair immigration system without this aggressive, very violent, militarized agency.”

Tlaib has been Washington’s most vocal critic of Israel and its war in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians. Israel says it’s defending itself from terrorist groups such as Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel on October 7, 2023. 

Tlaib has voted against giving financial aid or weapons to Israel. And she doesn’t apologize for it.

“More of my colleagues are joining in now,” she says. “We’re talking about over 100 now who also support ending the funding.”

Roots in the community

Tlaib’s primary opponents say she spends too much time focusing on Israel and foreign policy than she does working for her constituents. One challenger, former state lawmaker Shanelle Jackson, called Tlaib ineffective, saying Congress has only passed one of her bills in eight years.

Tlaib says that’s not true. She says the House passed several bills she sponsored, including a federal water assistance program. 

“I was able to get $1.1 billion to help families get their water turned back on,” she says. “And $68 million back to the district through the community-funded projects from the Boys and Girls Clubs for home repair.”

Affordability goes beyond high prices

Tlaib agrees with Jackson and her other challenger, Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen, that affordability is a big issue in the 12th district. But she says it’s about more than just the cost of gasoline, food, and housing—it’s greed.

“The big banks, the corporations, the industries, all of them are extracting from our federal government and pulling all these resources away,” she says. “It’s all profit-driven, and it leaves a lot our families in survivor mode.”

Tlaib blames President Trump for much of the nation’s problems. He is one of Tlaib’s biggest critics. If House Democrats regain the majority in the 2026 midterm elections, Tlaib says she won’t back down during his final two years in office. And she resists her opponents’ calls to compromise with Republicans.

“How do you compromise with a fascist government that thinks my neighbors’ votes should count or that polluting their communities is OK?” she asks. “I push back no matter how unpopular it is.”

Whoever wins the primary election will likely win the general election in November because the 12th district is a Democratic stronghold. Voting ends on August 4.

Democratic voters in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District have a choice in the 2026 primary election: re-elect incumbent Rashida Tlaib or pick someone new.

Tlaib is seeking her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She’ll have to defeat two challengers whose names appear on the August ballot. One is former state lawmaker Shanelle Jackson of Detroit. The other is Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen.

WDET’s Pat Batcheller asked the candidates why they’re running. Nolen says he says he wants to change the tone of American politics.

“Everybody’s standing in their corner and looking at each other, saying ‘I hate you, I don’t want to talk to you,’ and they’re not getting things done,” the mayor says. “I pride myself on getting things done.”

Who is Byron Nolen?

Nolen was born and raised in Inkster. He became a lawyer and represented city residents in a lawsuit over water rates. After they won their case, Nolen says people urged him to run for mayor. He was reluctant at first.

“We were a city manager form of government at the time,” he recalls. “I would just be a glorified city council person.” 

Nolen ran anyway and the city revised its charter to give the mayor more power. Voters elected him in 2015, ousted him in 2019, and returned him to office in 2023.

He says affordability is the most important issue in the 12th district. If elected, Nolen says he would work to make their lives better. 

“Do what you need to do to improve the quality of life,” he says. “If you can’t do that, get out of the way and let somebody else take over.”

Nolen says he believes Rep. Tlaib has lost that focus.

“I think she’s more of an activist than she is actually a politician or someone who’s trying to get things done for the district,” he argues.

Nolen says he prioritizes local issues

Tlaib has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s government and its war in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians. Israel says it’s defending itself from terrorist groups such as Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel on October 7, 2023. 

Tlaib has voted against giving financial aid or weapons to Israel. Nolen says he hopes the U.S. changes its policies and makes future aid to Israel conditional. He says that might have happened if Tlaib had openly supported then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. 

“You could have had that conversation with Kamala Harris,” he says. “Now, you’re trying to have it with Donald Trump. That’s going to be tough.”

While Nolen might differ with Tlaib’s approach to foreign policy, he does agree with her on many domestic issues, including women’s reproductive rights.

“Your body, your choice, you do what you need to do,” he says. “I don’t think men should be part of the conversation.”

Nolen says he also supports LGBTQ+ rights and universal health care, just as Tlaib does. 

He pledges to work across the aisle

Whoever wins the primary election will likely win the general election in November because the 12th district is a Democratic stronghold. If the party wins control of Congress, Nolen says he would work with Republicans to get things done during the final two years of President Trump’s second term.

“The president is only going to sign bills that he wants to sign,” the mayor says. “You figure out what his priority list is, look at what you want to get done, see if there’s some common ground, and try to go after those things.”

The Detroit Department of Construction and Demolition gave city council an update on the removal of the contaminated dirt in the city on Monday. 

The Department has replaced tainted backfill in more than 100 properties. That’s out of the 450 lots that were identified. The average cost of the fill removal and replacement is about $36,000 per site. 

Department Director Tim Palazzo says they have tightened up process for approving construction fill materials over the last several months. “The first thing is that we collapsed the number of sites and sources from which we receive fill material down to seven public pits. These only excavate native sand, gravel, soil from longstanding operations.” 

Palazzo says they inspect those sites on a monthly basis and send their staff—as well as a third-party environmental consultant—to oversee operations at the sites. He says they have also started sampling the fill before it even leaves the source site.

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley 

Additional headlines for Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Community discussion about ICE

The Southfield Neighbors Action Committee is hosting a community discussion Wednesday about ICE enforcement in Southfield. “What Does It Mean To Be A Good Neighbor When ICE Moves In?” will be moderated by Kermit Williams, political director of Oakland Forward.

Panelists include Elida Reyes from Community Action for Empowerment, Lauren Fink from Southfield Neighbors Action Committee, Dr. Patricia Talley from Mexico Negro and U.S. House Representative Rashida Tlaib.

The event is Wednesday from 6:30- 9 p.m. in Room 115 at the Southfield Pavilion at 26000 Evergreen Road.

Good Food for Michigan

Dearborn Public Schools has received a state grant designed to bring more Michigan-grown food to its cafeterias. The Good Food for Michigan Project is giving the district more than $460,000. Dearborn schools serve more than 3 million meals to around 20,000 students at more than 30 sites. 

The Good Food for Michigan Project is a collaboration between the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.  

Detroit Riverfront hosts art exhibit

People visiting Detroit’s Riverfront and Southwest Greenway can now take in a little bit of the DIA’s art collection. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is hosting the museum’s Inside Out project featuring large-scale reproductions of 7 works. The pieces will be in place until October.

Girls soccer clinic

The Hamtramck Parks Conservancy and the city’s recreation department are partnering to offer a girls soccer clinic on August 17. Women coaches and trainers will work with girls between the ages of 10 and 17 years old. Balls, nets and pennies are provided.

The clinic runs from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Veterans Park Soccer Arena at 8684 Joseph Campau. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• Recap of the 2026 Democratic Endorsement Convention
• What stood out about the filing deadline?

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

According to the team, there were few surprises during this year’s filing deadline. One development that stood out to Oosting was Republican James Hooper entering the race against U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

“James Hooper announced that no one filed, so he was going to give it a go,” Oosting said. “It’s good for a candidate to have at least one challenger. Rashida Tlaib is a lock for reelection, but what if something happens?”

The 13th congressional district in Detroit probably had the biggest news with Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters jumping into the race to challenge Shri Tanadar. Oosting said Waters jumping in may take votes away from state Rep. Donavan McKinney who was already running. “For [McKinney] to be successful you need a small primary field. Mary Waters getting into the race complicates things”. 

The party primary elections will be held on August 4th. 

• More from WDET:
  MichMash: Michigan Democrats hold 2026 state endorsement convention
  
  MichMash: Will the Michigan Senate race forecast other critical races across the nation?
  
  Detroit Evening Report: Shri Thanedar questions validity of campaign signatures submitted by Adam Hollier

The U.S. Justice Department wants Wayne County to hand over ballots from the 2024 election. Justice officials claim the county surrounding Detroit has a “history of fraud convictions and other allegations.” 

Michigan officials say the few examples of fraud cited by the Justice Department out of millions of votes cast were not connected to the 2024 election. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson—who is running for governor as a Democrat—says she believes President Trump is trying to manufacture fear among voters. 

Michigan’s Republican-controlled state senate also found no evidence of widespread or systemic fraud in the 2020 election.

-Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter

Additional headlines for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Detroit representatives co-sponsor water access, affordability bills

Detroit-area representatives are among those co-sponsoring water access and affordability bills in the U.S. House. If passed, he bills would create an Environmental Protection Agency program that provides access to clean water for low-income households. 

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell is one of the sponsors of the legislation. She says clean, accessible, affordable drinking water is a basic human right. The bills would also prohibit water shutoffs and give equal protection for renters and homeowners. 

These bills are similar to ones Dingell and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib got passed in 2021, though funding was allowed to run out in the Republican-controlled House. 

-Reporting by Russ McNamara

Dearborn invests in new developments

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says the city and its private sector partners are investing $180 million in a wide variety of developments, including new housing. Hammoud says the city has already reviewed and approved some concept plans and is speeding up the permitting process.

Volunteers needed for Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

Raíces Detroit is looking for volunteers for its Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Parade. Volunteers will serve in a variety of roles, including event set-up and breakdown, assistance with parade staging, vendor support and more.

The Fiesta will be Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. The parade will be held on Sunday.

To volunteer, contact Raíces Detroit at 313-404-0850. 

Interfaith Odysseys explores Islam

The Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit invites the community to explore Islam as a part of its Interfaith Odysseys program in May. Attendees will visit the Islamic Center of America – the largest mosque in the United States. The event includes a tour of the mosque, an introduction to Islam and a warm meal.

Guests will also view the “Art, Faith and Sacred Space” exhibit of work by Lebanese-born artist Haroutioun Isack Bastajian. Interfaith Odysseys are designed for all members of the family.

Joyce Foundation seeks to fund artists

The Joyce Foundation is offering artists across the Great Lakes a chance at a hundred thousand dollars in unrestricted funds for community-focused projects.

Artists in Michigan can nominate themselves through May 4. The Joyce Awards artists in the visual, performing, film, literary and media arts exploring issues of racial equity and engaging communities through collaboration. 

For more information and to apply, visit www.joycefdn.org/grants.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.