Endorsement: Rashida Tlaib the right fit for Detroit's 13th District

Detroit Free Press Editorial Board | Detroit Free Press

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The six candidates for the Democratic nomination to represent Michigan's13th Congressional District are vying to fill oversized shoes.

The seat's previous occupant, for 52 years, was U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., a man whose abrupt fall from grace doesn't erase his decades as a civil rights icon.

The race to replace Conyers is crowded, but a few names stand out: Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, Westland Mayor William Wild, former state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib.

RASHIDA TLAIB is the right choice for this important seat.

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The 13th Congressional District race will appear twice on the Aug. 7 ballot: Voters will cast ballots in a special election to fill the remaining months of Conyers' term, and in a primary contest to select the Democratic nominee for the November general election. Because the district is so heavily Democratic, that primary will effectively choose the next member of congress. Voters should choose Tlaib (pronounced TUH-leeb) for both.

Straddling the City of Detroit and the western Wayne County suburbs of Garden City and Westland, Michigan's 13th Congressional District is one of the nation's poorest. Despite the apparent city-suburb divide, Tlaib notes, its residents share more in common with one another than with those in wealthier suburban districts to the north, east and west: Fewer 13th District residents own homes. Schools in many of their neighborhoods are struggling. And 13th district residents are particularly vulnerable to any economic downturn.

Tlaib pledges to direct federal resources to her district when possible and use her public platform to elevate residents' concerns.

Tlaib, who would be the first Muslim woman in the U.S. Congress, understands that she'd be representing a majority African-American district, and says she'll honor that community by ensuring that her staff represents her constituency.

Her roots in social justice and activism are a good fit for the district. She pairs progressive politics with policy know-how; a commitment to social justice with a reputation for solid delivery of constituent services; she's not afraid to unleash fiery rhetoric, but she can also deploy an easy charm that allows her to forge unlikely working relationships with her ideological opposites.

Minority-side experience

Tlaib's experience as a member of the minority party in a Republican-controlled state Legislature has taught her how to be most effective in a GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, skills she'll need if Democratic hopes for a blue wave don't materialize.

Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones deserves credit for her leadership of that body. Since her colleagues elected her president in 2014, Jones' council is a professional body almost free of scandal, a far cry its predecessors. Jones has shown she's capable of building coalitions and moving members in lockstep toward a common goal.

But Jones, who says she had intended to retire after this council term, is needed in the city, and the 13th District needs an officeholder who can commit to the district for the long haul.

Wild has served ably as mayor of Westland, but asked to envision his role in the U.S. Congress, Wild's pitch sounds more like he's running for mayor of the 13th. Wild, who clearly has political aspirations, hasn't found the right fit for his ambition.

State Sen. Ian Conyers, the nephew of long-time officeholder John Conyers Jr., is a talented lawmaker who should continue the path he's on; with more years of service, Conyers should easily win higher office.

And two other candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, former state Rep. Shanelle Jackson and state Sen. Coleman Young Jr., lack the credentials to compete with the top-tier candidates.

Either Jones or Wild might competently represent Detroit and its adjacent suburbs in Congress. But Tlaib is the right representative for the 13th District's future.