The 13th Congressional District also has unemployment rates well above the national average, which can be seen in the stark dichotomy between communities. While some areas of the congressional district are the hub of new investment, others remain blighted — and residents say that though the country at large may be experiencing times of robust economic growth, it is yet to become a reality in “The D.”

“We need things done around here,” said Vernon Boswell, a 67-year-old homeowner. “We need new people who can help get this community back on track.”

At a recent forum of candidates who are running to replace Mr. Conyers, several tried to lean into their social justice bona fides to win over minority voters, some of whom expect a vocal civil rights advocate to occupy the seat. On Tuesday, voters will cast ballots in not one, but two Conyers-related elections — a special election determining who will finish Mr. Conyers’s 2018 term, and a primary that will likely determine Mr. Conyers’s permanent successor.

With little reliable polling on the race, no clear front-runner has emerged among the candidates on the ballot (most of the major candidates are competing in both the special election and the primary election). The result is a campaign that seems equally about politics and personality, with six major candidates all heading into the election’s homestretch feeling confident about their chances of success.

[Here’s what’s coming up next on the primary calendar.]

The biggest fund-raiser has been Rashida Tlaib, the state lawmaker who could become the first Muslim woman successfully elected to Congress, but Brenda Jones, Detroit’s well-liked City Council president, may have the highest name recognition in the city. Also running are State Senator Coleman Young II, the only son of legendary Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, and State Senator Ian Conyers, the great-nephew of the now-resigned congressman. A former Detroit state legislator named Shanelle Jackson is also in the race, as is Bill Wild, a white mayor of a Detroit suburb called Westland, who could benefit from the fractured field.

Because there’s little policy daylight among the Democrats, issues of race, gender, age and dynastic politics have all received more attention and discussion in the primary race, as candidates have attempted to use their personal identity and legislative experience to differentiate themselves from their opponents. None will have the seniority and influence of Mr. Conyers, whose signature legislative legacy includes helping found the Congressional Black Caucus and being the first lawmaker to propose the establishment of a Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. But the candidates said their fresh faces would bring the much needed enthusiasm the 89-year-old Conyers missed.