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Editorial

Brenda Lawrence Preferred In Strong Primary Field

B

y most measures, the Aug.
5 Democratic primary for
the opportunity to serve
Michigan's 14th Congressional District
is a rerun of 2012:
The gerrymandered district, con-
structed with 2010 census data by the
Republican-controlled state legisla-
ture, is overwhelmingly Democratic,
majority African-American and snakes
through Detroit, Wayne and Oakland
counties as it intertwines areas of pov-
erty and plenty.
The winner of the primary is almost
assured of a November general-
election victory and an opportunity
to establish Dingell-Conyers-Levin-
like longevity in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
The race features a trio of capable
Democrats who have the political mis-
fortune of residing in the same district,
assuring that two will be tagged with
losses on their resumes.
Two of the three leading candidates
—Hansen Clarke and Brenda Lawrence
—are back for another try after losing
in 2012 to Gary Peters, who is yielding
his House seat in an attempt to suc-
ceed the retiring Carl Levin in the U.S.
Senate
The positions of the candidates
are strikingly similar on issues of
importance to the vast majority of
14th District residents and the Jewish
community: Israel (which they all have
visited), education, economic disparity,
city-suburb collaboration, progressive
social agenda.
So, in the upcoming primary, what
distinguishes leading candidates Brenda
Lawrence, Hansen Clarke and Rudy
Hobbs from each other when each would
capably represent the 14th District in
Congress? (See story on page 36.)

Brenda Lawrence
Lawrence has been familiar to
Southfield residents and taxpayers for
more than 20 years, rising to leader-
ship positions on its school board and
city council and serving as its mayor
since 2002. From cutting ribbons at

synagogue and day
school groundbreak-
ings to attempting to
balance the still-unique
mix of minority, ethnic
and religious con-
stituencies in her city,
Lawrence is no strang-
Lawrence
er to Detroit's Jewish
community. She is
also known and respected in the city's
business community. As an African-
American woman who understands and
embraces diversity, she would bring an
under-represented voice to an increas-
ingly polarized and politically segregat-
ed Congress. She has secured a number
of endorsements, most notably from
Emily's List for her stance on progres-
sive women's issues.
Her political judgment has been
questioned, resulting in her being
tagged with the "three-time-loser"
label. She willingly served as a sac-
rificial lamb for the Democrats on
two occasions, being walloped by
Republican L. Brooks Patterson in
2008 for Oakland County Executive
and accepting the lieutenant gover-
nor's spot on Virg Bernero's dead-on-
arrival 2010 gubernatorial ticket. In
2012, she ill-advisedly entered the 14th
Congressional District race pitting two
incumbents — Peters and Clarke — and
finished a dismal third.
When Peters announced he would be
leaving his 14th Congressional District
seat to seek Levin's U.S. Senate seat,
Lawrence hesitated long enough to
allow her onetime protege, Hobbs, to
enter the race and lock up endorse-
ments and campaign contributions
that otherwise could have come her
way. Her hesitation also opened the
door for latecomer Clarke, who saw
a path to victory with Lawrence and
Hobbs splitting Oakland County while
Clarke secured his traditional base of
support in Detroit. The fact that most
polls still show Lawrence competitive
in the primary suggest she traded
what could have been an easier time
for herself into a nail-biter.

Hansen Clarke

Clarke capitalized on
the backlash against
Kwame Kilpatrick by
waging a success-
ful primary against
his mother, Carolyn
Cheeks Kilpatrick,
and winning the 13th
Congressional District
seat in 2010. At the time, Clarke
was deemed "not black enough" by
Detroit's old-school political power
brokers. Redistricting in advance of
the 2012 election cycle put a sig-
nificant chunk of his old district into
the new 14th District, where he lost
to Peters. In a twist of irony, Clarke
recently received the endorsement of
the Detroit branch, NAACP for his cur-
rent run.
Clarke is known for overcoming his
hardscrabble Detroit upbringing, a
roll-up-your-sleeves persona, and an
often-maverick approach to policy
making and coalition building. His
two years in Congress taught him the
humbling realities of trying to pass
big-idea legislation in an increasingly
polarized environment.
That being said, he was among
the first to shed a spotlight on the
crushing college student loan debt
crisis and ways to try and ease it. His
earlier time in the state legislature
sensitized him to the needs of Detroit
and the dysfunctional dynamics of
city-regional politics.
Stung by his primary defeat to
Peters in 2012 and sidetracked from
political ambition by the needs of a
family member whose life ultimately
ended tragically, Clarke stayed on
the sidelines when Peters declared
for Levin's seat. He only came into
the race after supporters secured
the required petition signatures and
essentially "drafted" him. Since then,
he has campaigned vigorously, includ-
ing in Oakland County and its Jewish
community.

Eitan Shere, 11, lives in West Bloomfield.

Rudy Hobbs
Of the three leading
candidates, Hobbs
has positioned him-
self as the candidate
with the most upside
potential to earn
leadership positions
Hobbs
in Congress that will
bring added benefit to
Detroit and Southeast Michigan. The
hesitation on the part of Lawrence and
Clarke to enter the primary provided
Hobbs with a window of opportunity to
leverage his professional and personal
relationship with U.S. Rep. Sander
Levin and secure campaign dollars and
endorsements from many of the area's
leading labor unions. He also obtained
an endorsement from the Detroit Area
Regional Chamber of Commerce.
As a two-term member of the state
House, Hobbs has ascended his party's
floor leadership ranks and is one of a
handful of rising Democratic stars. His
biggest challenge is name recognition;
unlike his two leading competitors,
Hobbs is largely unknown outside of
his state house district. With absentee
ballots already collected, Hobbs must
rely heavily on late-minute advertising
to sway the relatively small number of
voters who will journey to the polls for
the primary.
The Jewish community would be
capably served by Clarke, Hobbs and
Lawrence — much as Peters had done
during his time in Congress and would
continue to do as a U.S. senator. Clarke
is ideally suited to be a bridge between
Detroit and its suburbs at a time when
regional cooperation is beginning to
emerge from its 50-year slumber.
Hobbs represents the new generation
of savvy, properly ambitious politicians
who are on the cusp of following in the
footsteps of their Democratic prede-
cessors.

1

■

Our Endorsement

The Jewish News has called Southfield
home for more than 40 years and has
been represented in some capacity by
Lawrence for a large percentage of
that time. She has a notable record of
service to her constituents — inside
and outside of the Jewish commu-
nity — much of it performed out of the
spotlight. We remain grateful for her
quiet support in the weeks and months
following the destruction by fire of our
offices in 2002 and her successful efforts
to help keep our business in Southfield.
Hansen Clarke and Rudy Hobbs are
deserving of our endorsement. Brenda
Lawrence has earned it.

❑

July 24 • 2014

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