Endorsement: Our pick in Michigan's 13th Congressional District primary

The 13th District Congressional District Democratic primary race is a catch-all for just about every Detroit politician who harbors an ambition to go to Congress.

The retirement of Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, set off a scramble that ended with the other Detroit incumbent, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, moving from the 13th District into the 12th. With no incumbent in the race, the 13th became a magnet for hopefuls seeing an opportunity for a newcomer.

Nine Democrats qualified for the Aug. 2 primary ballot:

► John Conyers III, whose late father represented the district for 52 years;

► Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former teacher and state representative;

► Michael Griffie, an attorney and school leader;

►  Adam Hollier, a current state senator;

► Sharon McPhail, a former Detroit councilwoman;

► Sam Riddle, radio host and activist;

► Portia Roberson, chief executive of Focus: HOPE

► Lorrie Rutledge, a small business owner,

► and Shri Thanedar, a current state representative.

There's a lot of talent in the field. Many of the candidates have served Detroit in various capacities in the past. 

Roughly 40% of this new district is made up of voters who live in suburban communities, including the Grosse Pointes and Downriver.

The representative for the 13th must be capable of serving the needs of voters in both the city and suburbs.

The candidate best suited to represent the entire district is Michael Griffie. 

Griffie, 38, started his career organizing and running successful charter schools in Detroit and Hamtramck. Education is a top priority for him. The attorney currently is head of external affairs for Teach for America's Detroit chapter.

He is a political moderate who is interested in working with business to create jobs and opportunity in the district.

Michael Griffie is a consensus builder who would have great leadership potential in Congress, and he's our pick for the Democratic nomination.

Martell Bivings of Detroit, a former executive with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Correction: A previous version of this piece mischaracterized the past experience of John Conyers III. He has not served in elected office before.