Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.)

U.S. Representative (since January 2011)

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Why He Matters

While Clarke is poised to pick up in Washington where he left off as a state lawmaker as an advocate for urban areas, he already cemented his legacy in the 2010 Democratic primary when he defeated Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), the matriarch of a fallen and once powerful Detroit political family.

The first Bangladeshi-American to be elected to Congress, Clarke successfully challenged the seven-term incumbent Kilpatrick who couldn't escape her connection with her son, the imprisoned former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. While Michigan will lose clout as the congresswoman was the state's only member on the House Appropriations Committee, Clarke said he could offer integrity and a focus on the taxpayer that Kilpatrick never offered.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: State Senator (2002-2010); State Representative (1998-2000, 1990-1992); Administrator, Wayne County (1993-1998); Chief of staff, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) (1989-1990)
Birthday: March 2, 1957
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
Alma Mater: Cornell University, B.F.A. (1984); Georgetown University, J.D. (1987)

Spouse: Choi Palms-Cohen
Religion: Catholic
Committees: House Science and Technology Committee , House Homeland Security Committee

Path To Power

The son of an African-American Christian mother and a Muslim immigrant father from Bangladesh, Clarke was born in Detroit in 1957.

Clarke's father, a worker in a Ford foundry, died when Clarke was 8. Clarke's mother raised her son on a school crossing-guard's paycheck and food stamps. At age 9, Clarke witnessed a murder.

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Education

Clarke was a gifted child, but had his share of troubles.When Clarke was a third grader, a teacher noticed his artistic abilities and urged his mother to help him receive lessons. Clarke took classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts on a grant and earned a scholarship to the Phillips Exeter prep school in New Hampshire. His studies didn't work out there, and he returned to Detroit. Back in his hometown, he was expelled from school for not going and earned a high school equivalency degree.

Clarke earned a spot at The Governor's Academy in Massachusetts with his mother paying for his tuition out of lottery winnings. He was accepted to Cornell on a scholarship to study painting, but he dropped out after his mother died his freshman year. "I gave up hope. I'd really given up," he said about returning to Detroit.

Surviving on sporadic odd jobs and food stamps, Clarke got a job in an attendance office of a Detroit high school with the help from the federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. He returned to Cornell at age 25, paying for college by working at the library and taking out loans.

Clarke earned his bachelor's in painting in 1984, but not before he defeated Ann Coulter, now a conservative commentator, in the school's board of trustees election. He ran for the position because he was concerned it was moving away from providing needs-based scholarships to minorities.

State Politics

A graduate of Georgetown Law School, Clarke returned to Detroit where he held a series of civic positions, including serving as chief of staff to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.).

In 1990, Clarke was elected to the state House but failed to get reelected in 1992. He returned to the chamber after the 1998 election, before moving to the state Senate in 2002.

2010 House Race

After briefly considering a gubernatorial bid in 2010, Clarke decided to run for Michigan's 13th district seat held by Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), who was nearly defeated in the 2008 primary when she was plagued by legal woes involving her son, then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Kwame had since resigned as mayor and been sent to federal prison.

While cautious to invoke the former mayor's name directly, Clarke capitalized on the scandal in the Detroit-centric district. While the incumbent touted her position on the House Appropriations Committee, Clarke said businesses wouldn't be attracted to an area where officials have the last name of Kilpatrick.

"There has been a culture of politics in Detroit for decades that people go into office to be served by the public - to take care of yourself and your family, not to look after the taxpayer," Clarke told The Hill after filing for the seat. "One thing I'm trying to change is that culture.

Clarke won the six-way Democratic primary, besting Kilpatrick 47 to 41 percent. The nomination essentially handed Clarke the seat in an overwhelmingly Democratic district. Clarke defeated Republican John Hauler, 79 to 19 percent, in the general election.

The Issues

Clarke said he ran for Congress because he wanted to help one of the nation's poorest House districts. Among the issues he hopes to advance is reforming auto insurance, delaying home foreclosures and limiting bank discrimination based on class.

In June 2010, Clarke said he supported a proposal from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) c to make Detroit a tax-free zone, eliminating all federal, state and local taxes for ten years. Clarke said the loss of tax revenue should be offset by federal aid.

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