Brenda Jones, president of the Detroit City Council, is running against Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in Michigan’s primary election this week.
Tlaib, a beloved member of “The Squad,” may have a solid base of supporters, but speaking with ESSENCE in a recent interview, Jones says she’s confident about her chance to unseat her.
“I think that my chances are really great,” Jones told the publication. “I plan to be the one to return back to the 13th congressional seat.”
In 2018, Brenda Jones was elected to complete the Honorable John Conyers, Jr.’s term. Despite a brief five-week tenure, Jones voted 77 times and sponsored two pieces of legislation, while representing Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. Tlaib defeated Jones in the 2018 race, but now says she was driven into the race by residents who object to Tlaib’s abrupt manner.
In February, Tlaib booed Hillary Clinton during a campaign event in Iowa for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Days later, Tlaib took to Twitter, admitting that she had allowed her “disappointment” over Clinton’s comments about Sanders and his supporters “get the best” of her, but stopped short of apologizing.
“I will continue to strive to come from a place of love and not react in the same way of those who are against what we are building in this country,” Tlaib said.
Jones weighed in on Tlaib’s remarks at the time.
“You can be vocal, but the things that were being done — like calling the president a ‘MF’ or booing Hillary — every time something like that happened, I was getting calls from people saying ‘You’re more professional than this,'” Jones said. “I’m not interested in being a rock star. I’m just interested in bringing home the money, working for the people of the 13th district and uniting the community.”
The 2020 Michigan Primary Election is Aug. 4. Due to an increase in mail-in voting, reporting of results is expected to be slower than in previous elections.
