Rep. Kilpatrick of Detroit Loses in Democratic Primary
Clarke victory closes curtain on Kilpatrick era in Congress
Ron French / The Detroit News
The last pillar of a political dynasty fell Tuesday as U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick lost her re-election bid to state Sen. Hansen Clarke in the Democratic primary in Michigan's 13th congressional district.
The winner of the primary is the favorite to take the seat in the fall in this heavily Democratic district, which covers half of Detroit.
"We did not win the election," Kilpatrick told supporters early Wednesday at the Doubletree-Fort Shelby hotel in downtown Detroit. "I will continue to serve and represent, and I wish Mr. Clarke the best."
As the votes were counted this morning, Clark built up large margins over Kilpatrick in the suburbs, and she barely edged him out in Detroit, her stronghold.
"The baggage we're getting rid of is the old political culture in Detroit which is about the politician being entitled to the perks of the office rather than being committed to serving the people," Clarke said. "This is a victory for the taxpayers."
The seven-term incumbent was widely perceived as the underdog in the race, as she battled the baggage of her family name as much as she did the tireless campaigner Clarke.
First taking office in Washington in 1997, Cheeks Kilpatrick, 65, was long considered unbeatable, being re-elected several times without opposition. With her son, Kwame Kilpatrick, serving as the high-flying mayor of Detroit, and her ex-husband, Bernard Kilpatrick, working behind the scenes as a power broker, the Kilpatricks were the closest thing the city had to political royalty.
Cheeks Kilpatrick rose to become a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, the only Michigan representative currently on that panel. She was chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2006-08.
But the once-golden name turned to polling-place poison as scandals engulfed her family. Kwame Kilpatrick is behind bars for a probation violation after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in a sex-text cover-up, and recently was indicted on 19 federal corruption charges, including mail fraud and wire fraud. Bernard Kilpatrick is under federal investigation for a pay-to-play city hall scheme.
"The name that once was an asset has become a pejorative," said Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics. "The Kilpatrick name is probably permanently damaged goods."
Cheeks Kilpatrick made her son's political career, handing over her state legislative seat to him in 1996 when she ran for Congress. In the end, the son's scandals ended his mother's career.
Clarke didn't mention Kwame's name in his campaign brochures. He didn't need to. Many Detroiters considered the election to be a referendum on Cheeks Kilpatrick's disgraced son.
"I feel like a lot of people don't want to vote for her because of what her son and ex-husband are going through," said Vivian West, 49, of Detroit, who voted for Kilpatrick. "But she's always been an excellent congressperson. Why upset the apple cart?
"You can't pick your relatives," West said. "I've got some relatives I'd like to get rid of, too."
Latawn Crocker, 35, of Detroit, agreed that people may be voting against Kilpatrick because of her family troubles. But he voted for Clarke because he views the state senator as a hard worker.
"I see him in the community a lot," Crocker said. "I've noticed Hansen Clarke for five years now."
Clarke, 53, was a member of the state House for four years, and has been in the state Senate since 2003.
He admitted the campaign revolved less around issues than around a question of old politics versus new.
"They (the Kilpatrick clan) continued a political culture that had hurt Detroit for decades," Clarke said. "The committed voters, they're the ones who are going to vote for us, because they are fed up."
http://detnews.com/article/20100804...-closes-curtain-on-Kilpatrick-era-in-Congress
