(Detroit Free-Press) – The pending retirement of U.S. Rep. John Dingell means U.S. Rep. John Conyers is poised to become the dean of the U.S. House of Representatives after fending off a primary challenge Tuesday.
The Rev. Horace Sheffield III, a pastor and community activist who nearly succeeded in getting Conyers bounced from the ballot, came up short after a hard-fought campaign.
With all 432 precincts reporting, Conyers won with 74% of the vote, compared to 26% for Sheffield.
Conyers said the drama surrounding the ballot issue did nothing to derail the issues at hand. He wants to continue the work he’s doing, and work to make sure more Democrats attain office in Congress.
“I made a determination to campaign on what I’ve accomplished and what I’m working on,” Conyers said Tuesday night from his campaign headquarters on Woodward.