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Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib will seek re-election in a new Detroit-area seat created through redistricting.
Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, announced her decision on Wednesday to run in the new 12th district, which includes areas of Detroit and suburbs like Dearborn and Southfield. The new seat would have almost two-thirds of the people she currently represents.
"I am excited about the opportunity to expand our work to include more communities that want the same access to a better quality of life, including clean air and water, affordable housing, economic justice and more," Tlaib, a Democrat who is in her second term, said in a statement.
Just hours before Tlaib's announcement, Democratic Representative Brenda Lawrence said she will retire from Congress instead of run in the district.
"Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence has led a historic and impactful life in public service," Tlaib said in a statement sent to the Arab American News. "As a Detroiter, a Michigander, and a woman of color in politics, I send my deep gratitude to Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for her partnership and support. It has been an honor to represent the city of Detroit with her."
Tlaib's decision leaves a seat open in the new 13th district, which has a majority of Detroit, as well as other areas in Wayne County. Other people who have announced their candidacy include state Representative Shri Thanedar and former state Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, who is currently on the Detroit school board.
Michigan lost a seat following the census, dropping to 13.
Lawrence, the state's lone Black member of Congress, announced Tuesday night that she would not seek a fifth term. She said redistricting did not factor into her decision, though it was believed she was unhappy with the map.
Several Black state legislators are suing to block the congressional and legislative maps drawn by a new independent commission, contending they weaken the ability of African Americans to elect Black lawmakers.
The plans are fairer politically to Democrats than when the Republican-controlled Legislature drafted gerrymandered maps in 2011 and 2001. But they cut the number of seats where African Americans account for a majority of the voting-age population.
The old maps had 15 such seats by decade's end: two in the U.S. House, two in the state Senate and 11 in the state House. Now there are seven, all in the state House.
Commissioners say the new maps comply with the federal Voting Rights Act because Black voters can elect minority candidates without comprising at least half of a district's electorate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
