Shri Thanedar

Early life and education

Thanedar grew up in a low-income Marathi family in Belgaum, Karnataka, India. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Karnatak University and then attended a master's program at the University of Mumbai.

He moved to the U.S. in 1979 to pursue a PhD at the University of Akron, which he completed in 1982. Thanedar did post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan.

Thanedar became a U.S. citizen in 1988.

Business career

In 1984, Thanedar started working at Petrolite in St. Louis. In 1990, Thanedar took a job working nights and weekends for $15/hour at Chemir/Polytech Laboratories to learn the business. He took out a loan to buy Chemir in 1991 for $75,000. Sales in the first year were $150,000 and the business had three employees. By 2005, Chemir's revenues were $16 million and it employed 160 people, including 40 PhD chemists.

Thanedar borrowed $24 million from Bank of America to finance seven acquisitions, offering the bank a personal guarantee to back the debt. One acquisition, Azopharma, grew rapidly from $1 million in 2003 to $55 million in 2008. Thanedar's group of companies employed 500 people in 2008. He built a mansion in Ladue, Missouri with an in-home theater to accommodate 150 people.

In 2007, Thanedar was offered $132 million to sell Azopharma. During the 2007–10 recession in the United States, Azopharma's revenue fell by 70%, triggering bankruptcy proceedings by Bank of America. Azopharma closed and its assets were sold for $2 million. During the bankruptcy proceedings, AniClin, one of Azopharma's research facilities of which Thanedar was the sole owner, abruptly closed; a 2010 USA Today article reported that laboratory animals were abandoned at the facility after the company was placed in receivership. According to later reports, employees climbed the fences to care for the animals until animal welfare organizations gained legal access and facilitated the adoption of all animals in the facility. Thanedar denied that any animals were abandoned.

Chemir remained profitable throughout the legal proceedings and was sold on March 31, 2011, for $23 million. That sale plus the combined assets in the firm covered Thanedar's debt to Bank of America.

Avomeen

Thanedar briefly retired in 2010, then came out of retirement later that year to launch Avomeen Analytical Services, an Ann Arbor-based chemical testing laboratory, with his son Neil. Avomeen was named to the INC 5000 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies in 2015 (#673) and 2016 (#1365). In 2016, Thanedar sold a majority stake in the business to private equity firm High Street Capital. He shared $1.5 million of the proceeds with his 50 employees.

Thanedar was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central Midwest Region (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska) in 1999, 2007, and 2016. He maintains 40% ownership of Avomeen.

Lawsuit

In November 2017, a buyer of Avomeen Holdings LLC filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, claiming Thanedar made "fraudulent and misleading representations" of his company's finances in order to sell the majority stake in November 2016. Thanedar denies the allegations, saying that revenues "are anticipated to significantly exceed" those of past periods. US District Judge Gershwin A. Drain dismissed the case in August 2019, citing a notice from Thanedar and Avomeen Holdings LLC that they had reached an agreement to resolve the matter out of court.

Early political career

Thanedar entered politics when he ran in the 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election as a Democrat. His political platform included a $15 minimum wage, public education reform, infrastructure improvements, and increased government transparency.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election

On April 5, 2017, Thanedar submitted paperwork to raise funds for a potential gubernatorial campaign in Michigan. On June 8, he officially announced his candidacy for governor of Michigan in the 2018 Democratic primary. He pledged not to accept any corporate political action committee donations. Thanedar contributed $10.6 million of his own money to his campaign. Early polling in 2017 showed him in last place at 2% to 3%. After running a statewide Super Bowl ad in February 2018, he quickly became the best-known Democratic candidate for governor. Thanedar won statewide Democratic polls in March (21% to 18%) and April (30% to 26%) versus Gretchen Whitmer, the presumptive Democratic front-runner.

As Thanedar's campaign gained public traction in early 2018, reporters at The Intercept and HuffPost began investigating Thanedar's history. Thanedar had not held elective office before running for governor in 2017, so he did not have an official record as a Democrat. Campaign finance records show that he made 18 donations to Democratic campaigns and one to a Republican campaign before running for office. The Republican donation, $2,300 to the Republican presidential campaign of John McCain, led to controversy that Thanedar might not be as progressive as he claimed. Political strategists who met with Thanedar before his 2018 campaign also claimed that he initially questioned whether he wanted to run as a Democrat or Republican in the gubernatorial race. Thanedar denied the claims, saying that these strategists were criticizing him because he did not hire their firms. He also faced allegations that laboratory animals were abandoned at one of his former research facilities after Bank of America placed that business into receivership in 2010, which he denied.

These controversies hurt Thanedar's campaign and he failed to poll over 30% again. In the primary, he won the City of Detroit, but finished third statewide; he received 200,645 votes (17.7%), placing him in third behind Whitmer's 588,436 votes (52.0%) and Abdul El-Sayed's 342,179 votes (30.2%). Thanedar's support was heavily concentrated in cities like Detroit, Flint, Inkster, and Pontiac with high African American populations.

Thanedar's campaign spent more (c $10.3 million) than any other candidate in either the Democratic or Republican primary, nearly a third of the total of all other candidates.

2020 Michigan House of Representatives campaign

In August 2019, Thanedar submitted paperwork to run for state representative in Michigan's 3rd district, a portion of the upper east side of Detroit. On August 4, 2020, he won the Democratic primary for the seat. On November 3, 2020, Thanedar was elected to the state house. He assumed office on January 1, 2021.

U.S. House of Representatives

Political positions

Israel

Thanedar previously co-sponsored a resolution to halt aid to Israel, describing it as an Apartheid state, in the Michigan House of Representatives. The next year, he faced opposition from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in his run for the US House. In summer 2023, he traveled to Israel on an AIPAC affiliated trip. On return, he described the relationship between Israel and the United States as mutually beneficial.

On October 11, 2023, the Detroit Free Press reported that Thanedar had "renounced his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), saying it hasn't adequately denounced Hamas for its 'brutal terrorist attacks' on Israel last weekend." This came after the Detroit DSA had already moved to expel Thanedar after he escorted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose prime ministership they called "far right, violent, [and] Islamophobic", on a state visit to the US.

In his 2024 primary election, the pro-Israel super political action committee called Blue Wave Action, linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, formed and quickly spent nearly $2.3 million on television ads and mail advertisements attacking his election opponent, who was a vocal critic of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.{{Cite web |last=Schuster|first=Simon D.|title=Pro-Israel AIPAC offshoot spent $2.3M to help Shri Thanedar in Michigan primary

Syria

In 2023, Thanedar was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days. The measure, which was introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was defeated by a vote of 321–103.

Food and Agriculture

In March 2024, Thanedar joined a letter to President Biden that was signed by 55 Representatives encouraging the administration to follow through with a proposal to increase plant-based food offerings across federal facilities, citing findings from a host of studies outlining the benefits of plant-based diets for human and planetary health.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

In January 2026, Thanedar introduced the Abolish ICE Act (H.R. 7123). The legislation proposes dismantling ICE and ending its enforcement authority. His office announced the bill on January 9, 2026 and it was officially introduced in the House on January 15, 2026. The bill was proposed shortly after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026 in Minneapolis. Thanedar described ICE as "beyond reform".

Articles of impeachment

On April 29, 2025, Thanedar filed multiple articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Charges include usurpation of Congress's appropriation powers, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, bribery, and corruption. These articles of impeachment did not receive party-wide support, faced intra party backlash, and notably lacked approval from party leadership. On May 14, 2025, Thanedar cancelled a vote on his bill after pressure from other Democrats.

The articles of impeachment were strongly criticized by Democrats as a "rogue" attempt by blindsiding and misleading the party and was seen as a "selfish" way to strengthen his position in the competitive primary to be faced by him in 2026 by forcing the vote. It was also opposed by Democrats who had previously led the first and second impeachment of Donald Trump in his first term. Some saw it as a publicity stunt.

On December 4, 2025 Congressman Thanedar introduced Articles of Impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for murder and conspiracy to murder, and for reckless and mishandling of classified information.

Elections

2022

In 2022, Thanedar gave up his state house seat and moved from Ann Arbor to the Palmer Woods neighborhood to run for Michigan's 13th congressional district. The incumbent, Rashida Tlaib, had her home drawn into the 12th district and was reelected there. Thanedar contributed $5.17 million of his own money to the campaign. Thanedar won the open primary, defeating state senator Adam Hollier and others with 28.3% of the vote. He defeated Republican nominee Martell Bivings and two third-party candidates in the November 8 general election with 71.1% of the vote.

2024

Thanedar faced Mary D. Waters, a member of the Detroit City Council, and Shakira Hawkins, a former employee of the city of Detroit, in the Democratic primary. Both Waters and Hawkins argued that the district needed Black representation, given the area's demographics. Thanedar was renominated with 54.9% of the vote. In the general election, he won reelection in a rematch against Bivings and three third-party candidates, this time with 68.6% of the vote.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development

Caucuses

Thanedar is a member of the following caucuses:

• Black Maternal Health Caucus{{cite web|title=Caucus Members
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Climate Solutions Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Equality Caucus
• New Democrat Coalition

Early in his House tenure, Thanedar attempted to join the Congressional Black Caucus.

In September 2023, Thanedar attempted to launch the Dharma Caucus, representing Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh Americans. Thanedar stated the caucus “is a statement of commitment to stand against religious discrimination, to propel the wheels of inclusion, and to cultivate a nation where diversity is not only tolerated, but celebrated". South Asian advocacy groups, including Hindus for Human Rights, Sikh Coalition, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Emgage, and Indian American Muslim Council, put out a joint statement voicing concern on the lack of "perspectives of the entire South Asian community across faith, caste and ethnic lines" The groups collectively argued that due to lack of broader inclusivity, the Dharma caucus could work against the ability to "provide meaningful oversight of the US-India relationship, ongoing work to protect the civil rights and safety of Sikhs and other marginalized groups, and efforts to ban caste discrimination at a federal level"

Personal life

In 1984, Thanedar married his first wife, Shamal. The couple had two sons: Neil (born 1988) and Samir (born 1992) and were married until Shamal's death in 1996. In his 2004 memoir, Thanedar revealed that Shamal had died by suicide.

In 1999, Thanedar married his current wife, Shashi. He is an adherent of Hinduism.

In 2024, Thanedar produced, funded, and acted in a short film, Dear Pra, recounting Shamal's secret struggle with depression, in a bid to raise awareness about mental health issues and to tackle the stigma and shame that was "certainly prevalent in South Asian communities".

Autobiographies

Thanedar has written two autobiographies. ही 'श्री' ची इच्छा! (Transliteration: Hī Śrī Cī Icchā; English: This is Shri's Wish) is an autobiography in Marathi, published in 2004. In 2008, Thanedar self-published his memoirs in English, The Blue Suitcase: Tragedy and Triumph in an Immigrant's Life.

References

References

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