Detroit Congressman John Conyers is poised to return to Washington as “Dean of the House.”
Conyers will run for a 26th term in Congress after cruising to victory in the 13th district Democratic primary last night.
Conyers was first elected to Congress in 1964. Now that fellow Michigan Congressman John Dingell is retiring, the civil rights icon is set to become the longest-serving member of the House.
Conyers would be the first African American to serve that role--something he calls a “crowning achievement.”
But Conyers insists that won’t change his objectives: “What I’m doing now is using that additional honor to further what I’m trying to accomplish.”
That includes battling against widening inequality and for “redistributing opportunity” in America. Conyers says he’s also seeking federal “emergency funds” for Detroit residents who face water shutoffs.
Asked whether this might be his final term, the 85-year-old Conyers had this to say: “When there’s so much left to be done-- and I’ve been blessed to accumulate the kind of experience that makes me more likely to be successful than anyone I can imagine--I can’t think of retirement.”
Conyers handily defeated Detroit Reverend Horace Sheffield in the primary, generally considered the key contest in the heavily-Democratic 13th district.
He’ll face Republican Jeff Gorman in the November general election.
