HOUSTON: Shri thanedar, an Indian-born Democratic millionaire who ran for governor two years ago, was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives with 93 percent of the vote.
Thanedar, 65, the scientist and businessman, raised a record $ 438,620, mostly from his own wealth, in the state House of Representatives primaries against six other opponents.
The former gubernatorial hopeful capitalized on his heightened familiarity with the name after moving from Ann Arbor to Detroit after losing the 2018 primary. His campaign two years ago included a heavy dose of “Shri for We” television commercials.
He won from Michigan’s 3rd District with 93 percent of the total vote.
Thanedar had spent nearly $ 10 million of his own fortune to finish third behind Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Abdul El Sayed in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, but won the most votes in Detroit.
Originally from Karnataka’s Belgaum, he earned a Bachelor of Chemistry at age 18 and a Master’s from the University of Bombay. Later, he immigrated to the United States in 1979 to pursue higher studies at the University of Akron and later at the University of Michigan.
Thanedar told the media in a recent interview that he began campaigning last fall before the pandemic and that he has spent time during the outbreak handing out masks, hand sanitizer and door knockers.
He said he wants to address a long list of challenges affecting his district, including pests, water outages, foreclosures, crime and unemployment.
“I see that people are hopeless. Conditions are really bad and nothing has changed in years. People are deprived of their rights. I have slept and eaten on the ground, without running water,” Thanedar said, referring to his upbringing in India. .
“I understand the pain of poverty,” he said.
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