Clarke to challenge Kilpatrick for Congressional seat

Embattled incumbent Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick, mother of ousted and disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, will face a challenge in the August Democratic primary from State Sen. Hansen Clarke.

Kilpatrick, who was recently cleared of ethics charges by the House ethics committee over two trips she accepted to a Caribbean trade summit, has not yet filed for re-election, reports the Detroit News.

Clarke entered, then dropped out of, the Democratic primary for governor earlier this year. He got in when Lt. Gov. John Cherry dropped from the race. But he left a week later, saying he would run against Kilpatrick.

Clarke tells the News’ Deb Price that Kilpatrick’s nearly $350,000 war chest does not intimidate him.

Asked about the challenge of ousting an incumbent congresswoman, Clarke pointed to his defeat of the incumbent Murphy. He also dismissed campaign money advantages of incumbency.

He said he’s raised “thousands,” and expects to have no trouble raising enough money to defeat an incumbent

And if polling data is correct, Clarke could take home the party’s nomination in August, which would virtually him of the seat in one of Michigan’s most heavily Democratic districts. Back in August of 2009, Michigan Messenger reported that a recent poll had found Kilpatrick would lose to a hypothetical challenger.