Donavan McKinney (born June 16, 1992) is an American politician serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives since 2023, currently representing the 11th district. A member of the Democratic Party, McKinney is currently a candidate in the 2026 election for Michigan's 13th congressional district.
McKinney was born and raised on the northeast side of Detroit near Seven Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue and attended Renaissance High School. He relied on public transportation to get to school, spending five hours every day on the bus. He was mostly raised by his grandmother while his mother worked. His familly moved 13 times while he was growing up, mostly due to evictions.
McKinney earned a bachelor's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan in 2014.
McKinney worked as a legislative director in the Michigan Legislature, and then later in community engagement for the nonprofit Community Development Advocates of Detroit, before becoming an organizer for healthcare in the Michigan Service Employees International Union. In 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed him to her Environmental Justice Council where he helped develop the pandemic plan to restore sewage service and water to Detroit residents via the $2 million Water Restart Grant Program and her statewide Water Reconnection Executive Order.
McKinney was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives from the 14th district in the 2022 election.
Following court-mandated redistricting of the Detroit area, McKinney ran in the 11th district for the 2024 election, winning re-election.
McKinney has been critical of Michigan's utility companies, and of corporate influence in politics in general. He co-sponsored a bipartisan bill package that would prohibit political campaign contributions from utility companies, such as DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, as well as from major state government contractors, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield. McKinney also supports an increase to the credit that Michigan energy companies must pay to consumers affected by prolonged power outages, arguing that the current rate of $35 per day is not enough to offset the costs of spoiled medicine or groceries.
McKinney was one of two primary sponsors on legislation in 2023 that would create the position of "medication aide" in nursing homes to fill the gap between entry-level nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses and help address severe staff shortages by freeing up licensed practical and registered nurses to do more patient care. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bipartisan bill into law.
In November 2023, McKinney joined two dozen other lawmakers, including State House Majority Leader Abraham Aiyash, in sending a letter to President Joe Biden to urge him to advance "a lasting ceasefire" in the Gaza war. The letter urged "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the adherence of all international laws, and aid to ensure that every person living in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank can live with self-determination, dignity and humanity."
In 2024, McKinney introduced legislation that would protect the privacy of individuals who filed complaints of misconduct against police officers. He also introduced legislation that would require separation records to include any disciplinary actions or investigations against an officer, and to require the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to revoke an officer's license if they use excessive force that results in the death or serious bodily injury of another individual. Neither of these bills became law.
Major successes in the district include helping to win over $10 million in community violence intervention programs, which led to the creation of the statewide community violence intervention initiative to focus on preventing gun violence. McKinney also won $600 million in federal funds to replace lead pipes in Detroit and surrounding suburbs.
In April 2025, McKinney announced his candidacy for Michigan's 13th congressional district in the 2026 election, challenging incumbent Shri Thanedar. He is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, the Justice Democrats, Senator Bernie Sanders, the Working Families Party, more than a dozen state legislators, and the Michigan chapter of Service Employees International Union, of which McKinney is a former member and organizer.
McKinney has said his campaign would focus on lowering costs, especially car insurance and child care.
McKinney and his wife Shaunté Wilcher, an attorney, have three children. The oldest was born in 2022 and the youngest in 2025. He has said that even with his statehouse salary that is twice the median income in his district, he and his wife can still only afford to put their oldest child into childcare.