A Michigan candidate for Congress is making headlines after videos purportedly showing her twerking on her kitchen counter went viral, in advance of the August 4, 2026, primary election.
Shelby Campbell, 32, is a single mother and law student currently running as a Democrat to represent Michigan’s 13th Congressional District.
Videos of Campbell have gone viral and elicited mixed responses. Conservative commentator Mario Nawfal tweeted on X that Campbell’s sudden fame is unrelated to any political agenda and instead stems from her “twerking on her kitchen counter on TikTok while running for office,” adding that the Internet was “roasting her” and Campbell seemed to be “loving every second of it.”
The progressive group Libs of TikTok referred to Campbell’s video as her “campaign strategy.”
However, some reactions lacked substantive information. One X user commented, “Terrible… If you vote for this ghetto female, you need your ass whooped.”
Campbell has embraced her controversial public persona. Her campaign website begins with a clear message: “I’m not here to pretend I’m perfect.”
She positions herself as the candidate who can empathize with her constituents’ daily lives, having lived them herself. She points out that 51 percent of the 13th district is female, more than half of whom are employed in service, retail, healthcare, and automotive industries. Furthermore, only 17 percent hold higher education degrees.
Campbell claims to be a first-generation college graduate and formerly worked as a bartender, restaurant server, certified nursing assistant, and as a third-generation autoworker who sold her automobile, drives a scooter, and takes public transportation. Campbell also has a criminal record; her website features four mugshots alongside her biography, which states, “I’ve been to jail. I’ve been judged. And I’ve gotten back up.”
Campbell received an associate degree from Rock Valley College, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in law from Wayne State University, and took 43 credits from Detroit Mercy School of Law.
“I’m not a regular politician, I’m an honest politician,” Campbell stated on her campaign website. “I’m running to represent us because we deserve someone who speaks our language.”
The primary is scheduled for August 4, 2026.
