Wayne State leader launches bid to take on James in Congress's 10th District

Dr. Anil Kumar, a physician and member of Wayne State University's Board of Governors, has launched his campaign for Congress in the competitive U.S. House district in Detroit's suburbs.

Kumar, 72, of Bloomfield Hills, joins a crowded Democratic primary field running for the party's nomination to take on first-term Republican U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township in Michigan's 10th District. James won the general election last fall by 1,600 votes or 0.5 percentage points in what was the third closest U.S. House election nationwide.

"I'm running for Congress to give back to this community that has given me so much," Kumar said. "The only interest I have is to do good for the people of this country. Wayne State and the community has been my American dream."

Kumar, a urologist and surgeon, lives just outside the 10th District boundary in Bloomfield Hills but noted in an interview that he spends 12-14 hours a day working in the district, including at the Kumar Surgical Center he owns in Rochester Hills.

He said he's not decided whether to move into the district if he wins, but would consider doing so if it's "politically indicated."

The contest in the 10th District, which covers southern Macomb County and Rochester and Rochester Hills in Oakland County, has the potential to get expensive next year, in part because James is a strong fundraiser and former two-time U.S. Senate candidate. Outside groups are likely to spend on both sides.

James' campaign announced Friday that his team raised $1.28 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30 and had $2.16 million in the bank. That includes $1 million raised for his campaign account and $261,000 for his leadership PAC, a spokesman said.

Kumar is planning to self-fund part of his campaign, though he declined to say how much of his own money he would potentially invest. He ran for Congress in 2016 against then-U.S. Rep. Dave Trott of Birmingham and loaned his campaign at least $750,000. Kumar lost to Trott 40% to 53%.

"I feel a great possibility that this time I’ll definitely win," Kumar said.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has said Michigan's 10th District is among the 33 GOP-held or open seats it intends to target in 2024, casting James as vulnerable in his bid for a second term.

Already in the race is James' opponent from last cycle, Carl Marlinga, a former Macomb County judge and prosecutor. Others in the race include gun safety advocate Emily Busch of Oxford; financial adviser Diane Young of Warren; Rhonda Powell of Mount Clemens; and Michigan State Board of Education member Tiffany Tilley of West Bloomfield Township.

Kumar grew up in Mumbai, India, went to medical school there and then to England for training for four to five years before immigrating to Detroit, he said. At Wayne State, he completed a urology residency and a fellowship in pediatric kidney transplants ― he also met a fellow medical student and married her 37 years ago. They have two grown children now in medical residencies.

He's worked in leadership and administration positions at hospitals including Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital and Trinity Health Oakland Hospital. He previously had been part owner and chairman of the board at Doctor's Hospital in Pontiac and a member of the board of the Oakland County Medical Society.

He was elected to the Wayne State board in 2018 and his term runs through 2026.

He became a doctor because he felt a calling, he said. Now, he feels a calling to public service, Kumar said.

"It’s not just that I'm running because I want to be a politician. I want to put everything, my heart, soul," Kumar said.

He intends to focus his campaign in part on healthcare affordability for patients. He said in his three decades as a doctor he's seen much wasted money in the areas of administration and lobbying, for example. He also decried the impact that corporate consolidation is having in eroding the doctor-patient relationship.

He'd like to see Medicaid expanded and make Medicare a public option to be available for all Americans, "so there is competition with the private insurers."

He said he also aims to campaign on the issue of education debt, suggesting that schooling and skills training could be financed with tax credits.

mburke@detroitnews.com