Detroit doesn’t have a Zohran Mamdani figure running for mayor, but District 7 City Council candidate Denzel McCampbell comes pretty close. 

McCampbell finished first in the District 7 primary, edging out state Rep. Karen Whitsett, 2021 runner-up Regina Ross and community organizer Bobbi Johnson. He’s a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America backed by the Working Families Party, which drew national support and comparisons to Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York. 

McCampbell wouldn’t be the first Democratic Socialist on the council. District 6 Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero is also a member of the DSA, and she’s seeking re-election. They’ve been teaming up in social media posts in hopes of building an alliance on the nine-member council.

The 33-year-old said his primary victory is a culmination of the work he’s put in for years as an advocate, organizer and candidate for office. He served on Detroit’s Charter Revision Commission, was a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, elevated voting rights issues during an unsuccessful run for City Clerk in 2021, and has led grassroots advocacy on an array of state and local issues. 

“It feels good to be at this point of the journey,” McCampbell said. “I look at all of the organizing work that I’ve been involved with, whether it’s around voting rights, ethical development of the community benefits ordinance, environmental justice, the charter revision commission … A lot of those things I’ve talked about have come up during this campaign.”

The campaign also received ground support from Emgage Michigan and a coalition of progressive groups organized by the Working Families Party. The groups reached tens of thousands of residents for McCampbell, engaging new 18-year-old voters, Bengali, Yemeni, and Iraqi neighborhoods and formerly incarcerated residents. 

“I’m able to bring all of that knowledge, all of the conversations that I’ve had with fellow Detroiters advocates and other elected officials, to this campaign and hopefully to the Detroit City Council,” McCampbell said. “I will be a new voice on the city council, but I know these issues, and I’ve been a part of pushing for the solutions.”

The Working Families Party was founded in New York by a coalition of labor unions and activist groups. McCampbell also received support from UAW Region 1A, IBEW Local 58, AFSCME Council 25, Metro Detroit AFL-CIO and other groups. 

McCampbell beat Whitsett by 56 votes. They will run against each other in the November general election. 

Mamdani shocked observers of New York’s mayoral primary by beating a billionaire-funded candidate favored by the Democratic establishment. Whitsett is funded by billionaire Dan Gilbert, but she’s not likely to get much support from the Democratic Party. 

Whitsett has been a target of Democrats since voting against pieces of the party’s agenda and joining Republicans who declined to participate in the end of last year’s lame duck session, leaving legislative priorities unpassed. 

Whitsett represents the 4th House District, which covers many of the same communities contained in District 7.  

McCampbell raised $92,032 and was fueled by an average donation of $81. Small dollar donors came from across the country. Whitsett raised all of her $22,000 campaign chest from political committees, and half came from a group largely funded by Dan Gilbert.

BridgeDetroit talked with McCampbell after his August primary victory about his political brand and what comes next.

Editor’s note: This transcript includes minor edits for length and clarity. 

BRIDGEDETROIT: I talked to a voter at the polls who said ‘I’m a socialist, and I don’t have anybody on the ballot to vote for.’ We don’t have many progressive or even outright socialist candidates, so you’re attracting attention. How are you thinking about the reaction to your win? 

MCCAMPBELL: If you look at what’s happened in New York City — and Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero is a DSA member, Congresswoman Tlaib is a member, state Rep. Dylan Wegela is a DSA member — when you look all the folks in those campaigns, we’re saying folks should have adequate housing that is truly affordable.

You have folks that are talking about making sure that we hold corporations accountable. In District 7, so much of our land is polluted environmentally. I bring up polluter pay and having corporations pay their fair share when I knock on doors. We’re talking about folks being able to have the freedom of movement to get around the city and have reliable, safe public transportation, no matter if you have a car or not. 

We have to get to the root causes of harm and violence and crime by addressing the lack of opportunities in our neighborhoods, by addressing the lack of health care, both physical and mental and our city with violence prevention programs and mentorships and violence interrupters.

That’s what you’re seeing across the country. Folks who want people who are unapologetically going to show up for their residents in the district, not for corporations, and not for anyone who has ulterior motives for their residents. 

They also want folks who are going to be authentic and honest and know where we need to go from here. What we’ve been trying before, catering to corporations and hoping that we will benefit from it, has not worked.

BD: When you list out those priorities, nothing about that sounds particularly socialist to me. What does it mean to be a Democratic Socialist in 2025, is that an important label? 

MCCAMPBELL: It’s an important label. It’s one that I embrace. I’m proud to be part of the DSA. 

Folks have tried to push their own views on it in a negative way of what it means to be a socialist and what it means to be a part of DSA. It’s folks that want to keep up the status quo. Folks are tired of what has continued to go on. 

If we look at the voter turnout numbers, if we look at the conversations I’ve had on the doors, people that just really want something different to happen. I go on the doors and tell folks about who I am and run down the list of my priorities. When I get to the point of centering the needs of Detroiters  and not just catering to special interests and corporations, that part of being a Democratic Socialist (resonates). You see it in their faces. They’re like ‘yes we have to put neighborhoods first. We can’t focus on downtown and hope that is going to come here.’ 

When it comes to being a Democratic Socialist, it’s making sure that our people, Detroiters, have the power in their hands. We are ensuring that we respect the power of the people and not give away that power to folks that have money interests, that we are putting people’s interests first.

BD: It’s notable how many people were asking us who is the Zohran candidate in the mayoral race. I had to tell people, ‘sorry, we don’t have one.’ Why are people seeking candidates like him? 

MCCAMPBELL: People will say, ‘Detroit is not New York City’ and things like that. What I’ve seen from the Zohran campaign and the folks that have been involved with it is how present his campaign was in connecting to people and having conversations, being with people. 

That direct voter contact, and talking about the issues that are really impacting the livelihoods of folks answering people’s basic needs when it comes to housing, transportation, affordable food. Those are issues that, while Detroit may not be New York City, are working class issues that are impacting cities across the country. What I see from Zohran’s campaign is that he’s bringing forth solutions. 

I sound like a broken record, but I think it is key. He’s going to people and saying ‘I realize that this is an issue impacting you, and this is the role that I think our city government should play in helping to address it.’ He’s saying the government has a role in New York City when it comes to rent and grocery stores. 

That’s what we’ve been doing here in our campaign. Instead of giving tax incentives to arenas downtown, we’re going to use everything in the city’s power to listen to folks about what they need in District 7 and use the city’s resources to bring that into the district.

Whether that is through the co-op model with grocery stores, whether that is from community land trust with housing, there are so many innovative ways that our city government can be a true partner and address those basic needs.

BD: What do you make of the low turnout that we’ve seen in Detroit? What needs to happen to get more people participating in these elections?

MCCAMPBELL: Folks want to see action, they want to see material change and be inspired. We can’t continue to go out to folks and say ‘hey, go vote and things will be OK’ and not deliver on it.

That’s what I’ve set out to do in this campaign, be very clear on what the City Council and the city government do and commit to carrying that out. I have this platform and we’re going to fight hard, but I also want residents to be a part of this change. 

I’m committed to creating work groups on those issues that have residents and stakeholders in the community and advocacy folks at the table to craft and to continue to push on these issues. We can educate folks around our district, whether it’s a budget season or is the ordinance that we’re pushing, so folks can also help organize other neighbors. Getting folks involved in all of that process, not just around elections, will help us.

Then we say, ‘OK, we got this much done. Here’s where we have to go to do this on the state level, here’s where we have to go to do this on the federal level.’ That is just one major aspect that I think will help increase the turnout: get people involved in the process and actually deliver on their needs.