By Astead W. Herndon @ NYTimes.com, Aug. 2

DETROIT — A Palestinian-American woman in the Michigan legislature running in the mold of Bernie Sanders. The African-American president of the Detroit City Council, who is popular with unions. The white mayor of a nearby suburb, positioning himself as a pragmatist. Two black state senators from historically prominent political families.

One of the most diverse Democratic congressional primaries of the year will reach a climax with voting on Tuesday. Yet it’s the competitive nature of the race that is a drastic adjustment for some residents, considering just how long political representation in this region has been almost singularly defined by one name: Conyers.

Voters are choosing a successor to Representative John Conyers Jr., a legend in Detroit and one of the nation’s most powerful black leaders until he resigned in December amid allegations of sexual misconduct [....] Besides electing a new member of Congress, many residents see Tuesday’s election as an opportunity to reshape the identity of the district, which is one of the poorest in the country and a shadow of its former self during Detroit’s heyday, in terms of population, homeownership and jobs. People speak less of choosing candidates based on traditional ideological lines, and more of selecting a new face of hope in a community that has been so defined by waves of economic and political tumult [....]