Vulgar candidate references female body parts, dances on stripper pole in campaign videos — but is she a Democrat?



A female candidate running for Congress in Michigan is testing the old adage that, when it comes to politics, there's no such thing as negative attention.

Shelby Campbell, a 32-year-old apparently self-described "c***," is looking to unseat far-left radical Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar in the 13th district of Michigan, which includes Detroit and some neighboring cities. Thanedar was first elected in 2022.

There is also at least one video in which she imagines the genitalia of one of her male commenters.

To draw attention to her campaign, Campbell has released dozens of TikTok videos discussing, among other vulgar topics, how "f***able" she is, the explicit alleged circumstances surrounding the conception of the unborn child she claims to have aborted in 2023, and the fact that she "got some last night."

In multiple videos, Campbell flips the bird, while in other videos, she performs highly suggestive dance moves to songs with pornographic lyrics. In some, she even dances on a stripper pole, sometimes with a flag that reads "p***y power" in the background.

In one particularly uncouth alleged video that appears to have been deleted, she positions the camera to film up her shorts, then says, "I am a c***. Great. But would you know a cl** if you saw one?"

There is also at least one video in which she imagines the genitalia of one of her male commenters.

According to her campaign website, Campbell believes she can represent the 13th district well because she speaks the "language" of the people there and "can translate the lived experiences of working people into real policy." Perhaps to demonstrate her street cred, Campbell admits on the site that she has "been to jail" and even provides mug shots that document four arrests between 2012 and 2015.

"I’m not here to pretend I’m perfect," her website says.

"Leadership is shaped by lived experience, not perfection."

Her crude videos may have made the news, but she does have a political platform. She supports the Green New Deal, denounces capitalism as obsolete, demands "housing justice," slams "white women" for letting down their black sisters, and even though she claims to be a member of the United Auto Workers union and is vying to represent the Motor City, Campbell wants to increase public transportation and "reduce car dependency."

A caption in a video Campbell posted in December said that Charlie Kirk "died for what he believed in quit crying about it."

She also attended a No Kings rally in March and brought a sign reading "F**k ICE." Another similarly themed sign reads, "I like my ICE crushed."

RELATED: Democrat plagued by primary challenges announces 7 articles of impeachment against Trump

Photo of Rep. Shri Thanedar by Elizabeth Frantz; Washington Post/Getty Images

Campbell professes to detest the two-party system in America but claims that if forced to choose, she sides more with Democrats. The New York Post and some social media accounts have also characterized Campbell as a Democratic candidate, as does her Ballotpedia page.

However, the truth about her party affiliation is a bit more complicated.

Campbell confirmed in a statement to Blaze News that she completed "the necessary paperwork and collected enough signatures to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot" but ultimately decided to run as an independent.

"As an independent candidate, I have until July 15 to submit the required valid signatures for ballot access. I am confident I can do that because I already demonstrated the ability to organize and collect enough support during the Democratic primary process," she told Blaze News in an email.

A spokesperson for the Michigan Bureau of Elections confirmed to Blaze News that, as of Monday, Campbell had not yet formally filed petitions to run for Congress either as a Democrat or as an independent and that the deadline to file as a Democrat has already expired.

Multiple Republican candidates have filed to compete in the race, but the district is considered deep blue. The Michigan primary election will be held on August 4.

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Dear airlines, please stop pitching your credit cards at 33,000 feet



I have never considered flying to be a luxurious experience, and this trip was no exception. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say that all I or anyone else on the flight from Dallas to Detroit on Christmas morning wanted was for it to be over as quickly as possible.

I had waited in the inevitable jetbridge backlog, found my seat, dutifully ignored the safety briefing, and was ready to see if I could manage an hour or so of sleep. As the plane reached cruising altitude, I — having momentarily gained the upper hand in the case of Pestritto v. airline seat — began to slip into a light doze.

In the back of my mind, I knew it was coming, but that didn't make it any more bearable. The crackle of the PA system, the monotone, forced cheerfulness of the flight attendant as he delivered the fateful words: “We’d like to take this chance to tell you about a special promotion being offered on this flight.”

For a brief instant, some small part of me considered pulling the emergency door handle. Surely the icy blast of air at 33,000 feet couldn’t be any worse than enduring the dreaded American Airlines credit card pitch.

When I arrive at the airport, I am prepared to suffer.

After this brief instant of nihilism, the better angels of my nature prevailed, and I contented myself with a silent sigh, listening to the pitch as I meditated on the script’s use of the passive voice. As if the airline were saying, “This promotion is being pitched without your consent. By whom? No idea. We would certainly never inflict such an indignity upon our paying customers.”

Let me take a moment to make my position clear. I understand that air travel is an unpleasant experience. Anyone who has taken a flight more than once in his life almost certainly understands this fact.

I have shrugged my shoulders for two hours straight in a middle seat. I have sat on the tarmac for longer than I thought possible. I have nearly missed my flight because it took four TSA officers to handle the bomb threat posed by the pink sippy cup belonging to the toddler in front of me.

All that to say: When I arrive at the airport, I am prepared to suffer.

However, air travel and I used to have an agreement. Once I made it through the ritual humiliation of the airport process and actually got to my seat on the plane, I was left more or less alone to endure the next few hours as best I could.

I grew up making two-day road trips in a Suburban with my parents and seven siblings, so I consider myself something of an expert at enduring hours of cramped travel conditions. The trick is just sort of retreating within yourself, ignoring your surroundings, and letting the dull misery of the situation become a sort of vague background noise.

This strategy is why I support Delta’s recent decision to end in-flight refreshments on trips of less than 350 miles. Unless the flight is long enough to warrant it, I don’t want my restless slumber disturbed by a voice asking if I want apple juice like it’s lunchtime at the day care or, if I’m the hapless occupant of an aisle seat, my elbow socket being rearranged by the passage of the snack cart.

I want it to just be me, my popping ears, and my very sore rear end until such time as we touch down and I can begin the "Mad Max: Fury Road" experience of trying to get off the plane.

I should have known, though, that modernity is never content to rest on its laurels. Like a roaring lion, it goes about constantly seeking whom it might devour — if by “devour” we mean “deprive of both money and will to live.” Since most airline passengers are neither sober nor watchful, the airlines are as good a place for devouring as any.

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Jim WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

American Airlines is not alone in its quest to eliminate any and all in-flight respite. I have sat through what can only be described as lottery drawings on Spirit Airlines (may she rest in peace), heard random promotions for goodness knows what on Frontier, and been pitched on the same Delta credit card I had in my wallet at the time.

I understand, to a certain degree, why the airlines see fit to inflict these announcements on their passengers. If you look into it, you’ll find that most airlines today are basically just “banks that happen to fly planes.” They actually lose money on the flying part of the operation, which probably has something to do with the incessant attempts to bring customers over to the profitable side of the business.

The details of airline loyalty programs and how they have changed the industry is a story for another time. My concern is twofold.

First: How long can I endure these incessant credit card pitches before I commit self-harm or — far worse — break down and get one of them?

Second: What’s to stop this most heinous of sales methods from spreading to other forms of transportation? How long will it be before I have to endure automated pitches for the Honda GroundMiles Card whenever I stop at a red light?

I don’t expect much when I travel. Whether I’m sitting in Dallas traffic or at cruising altitude over Oklahoma, my greatest desire at this point is to endure the agony unassisted by the vicissitudes of corporate marketing.

Michigan’s El-Sayed Said He Did 'Time' After His Arrest at a Minimum Wage Protest. He Got a Ticket, Records Show.

The left-wing candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat, Abdul El-Sayed, told a labor union audience last month that he put his "body on the line" and did "time" after being arrested at a minimum wage protest in 2018. Police records show that he was briefly detained in a police van and promptly released with a misdemeanor ticket—and the charges were dropped a few months later.

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Who is the naturalized US citizen from Lebanon identified as the Michigan synagogue school attacker?



Within hours of a radical shouting "Allahu akbar" and opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, an armed suspect rammed a vehicle into a Detroit-area synagogue and school, then exchanged fire with security personnel.

The suspect was killed, and the guard was injured.

'Today's attack is every community's worst nightmare.'

Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield Township with roughly 12,000 members as well as a preschool and religious education school, revealed in a statement that "everyone is safe," including the preschool students and staff members.

"As you have no doubt heard, Temple Israel was the victim of a terrorist gunman who was confronted and neutralized by our security personnel who are truly heroes. Our teachers followed their training and kept the children safe and calm," stated Temple Israel, which ran an active-shooter training exercise six weeks ago.

Following reports that the vehicle used in the attack was registered to a naturalized U.S. citizen who lived in Dearborn, Michigan, the Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese native who first entered the U.S. in 2011 on an IR1 spousal visa.

RELATED: Heroic students subdued suspected terrorist in Old Dominion attack and 'rendered him no longer alive,' says FBI

Jewish volunteer EMTs near Temple Israel following the attack. Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images

Ghazali was granted American citizenship "under the Obama administration" on Feb. 5, 2016 — just a year after applying for naturalization, the DHS noted.

A neighbor told the Detroit Free Press that Ghazali lived in Dearborn Heights and recently lost his family in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun, among the officials who promptly condemned the attack, confirmed in a statement that "earlier this month, [the suspect] lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon."

A Lebanese official told NBC News that two of the suspect's adult brothers — alleged members of Hezbollah — were also among those killed in the recent Israeli strikes. A March 6 report claimed that Qassem and his brother Ibrahim Ghazali were killed in Western Bekaa along with Ibrahim's children Ali and Fatima.

Lebanese authorities claim that at least 687 people, including 98 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since Feb. 28, reported the BBC. The Israel Defense Forces noted earlier this month that as part of an "enhanced forward defense posture," it had taken positions inside Southern Lebanon and was "conducting targeted strikes against Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure."

"All of us have thoughts of maybe why this happened," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said on Thursday. "But we don't operate in a world where we can presume something. We have to determine it through investigation."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) stated, "Today's attack is every community's worst nightmare. We saw incredible people step up today to save lives and stop the suspect. Our state is grateful to the security personnel for their bravery and law enforcement who jumped into action to keep students safe."

The West Bloomfield Police Department said that it is working in concert with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police, and other agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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'Progressive' Detroit judge allegedly leased new SUV by picking the pockets of vulnerable adults



A Detroit judge described as "progressive" has been federally charged after she, her dad, and two other defendants allegedly schemed to steal money from vulnerable adults.

On Friday, Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, of the 36th District Court in Detroit was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement to federal law enforcement in connection with the scheme, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Michigan.

'Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law.'

Bradley-Baskin coordinated with her 72-year-old father, who is also an attorney, and two others involved with "wards" identified by probate courts as needing guardians or conservators to help with managing their "personal and financial affairs," the press release claimed. The four then "conspired to systematically embezzle" money belonging to the wards or their estates, it continued.

In one case, Bradley-Baskin is accused of taking $70,000 in ward funds and using it to invest in a local bar. She also allegedly used money from a ward's estate to lease a new Ford Expedition SUV, prosecutors claim.

RELATED: Democrat darling charged: Dana Nessel ally accused of stealing $50,000 from brain-damaged old woman

vladans/Getty Images

"We respect the authority that covers a black robe. This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court. This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.

"Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law. These four defendants allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens — looting bank accounts, exploiting legal authority, and profiting off those who relied on them for care and protection," said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

Bradley-Baskin was elected to serve on Michigan's 36th District Court in 2024. As of Tuesday morning, she remains listed on the court's website.

Though technically a nonpartisan race, she has had support from Democrat-leaning organizations. Blue Voter Guide described Bradley-Baskin as having "progressive values." The Detroit Bar Association, which remains steadfastly committed to "diversity and inclusion," reportedly gave her an "outstanding" rating.

A message left for Bradley-Baskin at a court phone number listed for her was not returned. The DBA did not respond to a request for comment.

Just recently, former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer Traci Kornak, an ally of far-left Attorney General Dana Nessel, was charged in Kent County in connection with similar allegations. Kornak is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a brain-damaged elderly woman in assisted living who has since passed away.

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Detroit police commissioner turns out to be felon who once threatened to shoot a cop



A recently elected Detroit police commissioner has withdrawn his promise to resign, even after a local news outlet made public his criminal past — as well as his antagonistic interactions with cops.

On December 17, Darious Morris, 38, was sworn in as one of nearly a dozen members of the Board of Police Commissioners, entrusted with overseeing the Detroit Police Department. Morris won the seat representing District 3 on a write-in campaign after no other name appeared on the ballot.

'If you would have put your hands on him, I would have shot you!'

However, a report from WXYZ-TV just a few weeks later led Morris to consider tendering his resignation.

Morris has a criminal record that extends all the way back to 2009, when he pled no contest to felony fraud and impersonating a public officer charges in connection with what he described as "real estate fraud."

"It was taking homes from the bank that the bank got foreclosed on people, and we were fraudulently taking the deeds to the homes and deeding them over," Morris told the outlet.

While he was sentenced to probation in these cases, he was charged with fraud again a year later and wound up behind bars for two years, WXYZ reported. After his release, Morris apparently lived the next 12 years as a law-abiding citizen.

RELATED: Crooks need only 5 minutes to steal $90,000 in merchandise from Detroit clothing store in predawn heist, owner says

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

That sterling record changed in May 2023, when he involved himself in a relatively routine traffic stop of a mini-bike driver in the neighboring city of Warren.

It turns out the bike was not street-legal, and the driver did not have a license, police said. Morris stood at a distance during the stop, claiming he wanted to make sure the cops were acting appropriately.

Morris also seemingly suggested that he was a member of law enforcement, donning a silver police badge purchased online. According to Warren police, Morris falsely told the officers he was a "Detroit Police Department Chaplain at the 9th Precinct."

Bodycam footage shows one Warren officer ordering Morris: "Stand by the vehicle, please. If you interfere with this stop, understand you are not allowed to."

After Morris later repeatedly calls the officer an "idiot," the cop responds, "I'm done. I'm done talking to you," according to the video.

The officer then attempts to get in his vehicle when Morris cries out: "If you would have put your hands on him, I would have shot you!"

Morris later pled guilty to assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to probation. He admitted to WXYZ that he had lashed out in "anger," knowing the remark "would upset" the officer. He also claimed he had not been armed at the time and that he has since apologized to the officer.

'No matter what was said previously, right now, he’s not resigning.'

Just since his election in November, Morris, who has dubbed himself "the People's Commissioner," has rankled local officers with his officiousness, bluster, and accusations of mistreatment.

On December 28, he interrupted police rendering assistance to a drug-overdose victim. "We're trying to help someone here," one officer reportedly pleaded with Morris, who was attempting to speak with them.

Morris later filed a complaint against that officer. DPD told WXYZ an investigation into the officer's actions has been opened.

Morris also caused a scene at a Detroit precinct, refusing to go through a metal detector like all other visitors. When a cop demanded he comply with the policy, Morris shot back, "Put your information on a piece of paper so I can get you wrote up."

Morris even called for ousting a white Detroit police commander whose precinct he implied is racist.

"A lot of black citizens have been reporting to em that they are being mistreated by officers out of that precinct. I even experienced disrespect by one of their officers," Morris wrote in a since-deleted social media post, according to the Midwesterner.

"Get rid of Commander Svec immediately!" the post added.

At least one police group has called for Morris to resign, accusing him of spewing "alarming anti-police rhetoric," attempting to "dox" police officers, and not living up to his promises.

"Upon being sworn in on December 17, 2025, Commissioner Morris stated that he was eager to improve the relationship between the youth of Detroit and the Police Department. Not even a month later, he is instigating citizens against police officers," National Association of Police Organizations Executive Director William Johnson wrote in a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners.

RELATED: University of Michigan's bio-smuggling scandal explodes: More Chinese scholars busted in alleged plot

Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Shortly after the WXYZ-TV story aired last week, Morris initially agreed to step down from the Board of Police Commissioners. "I already have my city-issued laptop and all my stuff packed up and ready," he told the outlet, acknowledging that the public may view the BOPC "in an unfavorable light" on his account.

At a press conference Monday, however, Morris' attorneys walked that resignation pledge back. "No matter what was said previously, right now, he’s not resigning," insisted Mohammed Nasser.

Of note, Morris could still be in trouble with the law. Back in 2021, weapons charges against Morris were dropped after an officer did not appear at the scheduled hearing, but the office of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy claimed that those charges may now be refiled.

"We have asked that the case be re-issued. When we receive the warrant request from (Detroit police) it will be reviewed," spokesperson Maria Miller told the Detroit Free Press.

About these pending weapons charges, Nasser said, "We would certainly advise our client not to resign and allow the criminal case — if it comes — to be addressed in due course. Reissuances do happen. In our practice, we see it all the time. The fact that it is coming many years later, I’ll leave that for everyone to decipher as to what they believe the reason may be."

The BOPC did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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'Fascist Pigs': Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Served on Board of Far-Left Group That Smeared Cops and Lobbied To 'Defund' and 'Abolish the Police'

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat in 2026, served on the board of a far-left climate group from 2019 to 2021, according to financial disclosure records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. During that time, the organization lobbied to "defund and abolish the police" and described cops as "fascist pigs."

The post 'Fascist Pigs': Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Served on Board of Far-Left Group That Smeared Cops and Lobbied To 'Defund' and 'Abolish the Police' appeared first on .

Convicted sex creep working as college professor in Michigan nabbed by ICE



A convicted sex offender college professor whose criminal past made him "ineligible for legal status in the United States" has been arrested by ICE, according to a DHS press release published earlier this week.

On November 12, ICE officers arrested Sumith Gunasekera of Sri Lanka in Detroit. According to the press release, he told officers that he was employed as an associate professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, about 200 miles northwest of Detroit.

He was arrested for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He told officers at the time that the ... incident involved a minor, DHS reported.

Gunasekera first came to the U.S. in February 1998, spent some time in Canada, and then returned to the U.S. later that year on a student visa, the press release said.

During his stint in Canada, he was arrested in Brampton, Ontario, on two separate occasions just three days apart. In the first instance, he was arrested for uttering death threats. In the second, he was arrested for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He told officers at the time that the second incident involved a minor, DHS reported.

In November 1998, a Canadian criminal court convicted him of utter threat to cause death or bodily harm and sexual interference and sentenced him to one month of incarceration and one year of probation, DHS said.

Gunasekera — who earned a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Nevada, according to the Ferris State website — also ran afoul of the law in Las Vegas a few years after his trouble in Canada, the press release said. Cops arrested him for open and gross lewdness in September 2003, and just four months later, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to fines.

In 2012, Gunasekera filed for a change in immigration status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, at which point his Canadian convictions came to light. Those convictions rendered him "ineligible for legal status in the United States," the press release said. Despite his ineligibility, Gunasekera "repeatedly attempted to manipulate our immigration system between applications, denials, and appeals," it added.

"It's sickening that a sex offender was working as a professor on an American college campus and was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers, this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans. His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S."

RELATED: Trump to 'permanently pause' migration from third-world backwaters in wake of National Guard member's grisly murder

Bill Oxford/Getty Images

As of Sunday evening, Gunasekera remains listed on the Ferris State website as an assistant professor of marketing. According to a statement from Dave Murray, Ferris State associate vice president for marketing and communications, he has since been placed on administrative leave.

"Ferris State University leaders on Tuesday became aware of accusations regarding professor Sumith Gunasekera. He has been placed on administrative leave while the university gathers more information. This is a personnel issue and it would be inappropriate for the university to further discuss the matter," Murray told the Detroit News.

A federal immigration database states that Gunasekera remains in ICE custody at a federal facility in Baldwin, Michigan, about a half-hour from Ferris State. Further immigration proceedings are pending, DHS said.

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Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Helped Lead Anti-Police Group as It Organized Detroit Protest Turned Deadly Riot

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the 2026 Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, was on the board of an anti-police group when it organized Detroit protests that turned deadly in May 2020, public disclosure records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.

The post Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Helped Lead Anti-Police Group as It Organized Detroit Protest Turned Deadly Riot appeared first on .

‘People Are Angry’: Big City Mayor Who Left Democrats Blasts Ex-Party’s ‘Entirely Negative’ Messaging

'It's just been so frustrating to watch'