Hansen Clarke
Hansen Hashim Clarke (b. March 2, 1957) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan's 13th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013. He ran for re-election in 2012 to the 14th Congressional District seat, but was defeated by fellow incumbent Gary Peters in the Democratic primary.[1]
Clarke made a second run at the 14th Congressional District as a 2014 Democratic candidate who sought election to the open seat in the U.S. House. Clarke was defeated by Brenda Lawrence in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Clarke was a "moderate Democratic follower."[2]
Biography
Clarke was born in 1957 in Detroit, Michigan. He earned his B.F.A. from Cornell University and his J.D. from Georgetown Law School in 1984 and 1987, respectively. Prior to his political career, Clarke worked as an attorney.[3]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Clarke's professional and political career:[3]
- 2011-2013: U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan's 13th Congressional District
- 2003-2010: Michigan State Senate
- 1991, 1999-2003: Michigan House of Representatives
- 1989-1990: Aide to United States Representative John Conyers
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Clarke served on the following House committees:[4]
- Homeland Security Committee
- Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
- Subcommitte on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications
- Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- Subcommitte on Space and Aeronautics
- Subcommitte on Research and Science Education
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Clarke voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]
Elections
2014
Clarke ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 14th District. Clarke Clarke was defeated by Brenda Lawrence in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014.
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hansen Clarke | 30.9% | 22,866 | ||
| Burgess Foster | 1.1% | 831 | ||
| Rudy Hobbs | 32.4% | 23,996 | ||
 Brenda Lawrence |
35.6% | 26,387 | ||
| Total Votes | 74,080 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State |
||||
Endorsements
| California's 31st Congressional District Contested Primary - Democratic candidates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement/Contribution | Rudy Hobbs | Brenda Lawrence | Hansen Clarke | Burgess Foster |
| MI Rep. Sander Levin | May 22, 2013 | |||
| EMILY's List | February 13, 2014 | |||
| National Organization for Women | July 23, 2014 | |||
| Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan | July 31, 2014 | |||
2012
Clarke ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 14th District. He was defeated by incumbent Gary Peters in the Democratic primary on August 7, 2012.[6]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gary Peters |
47% | 41,230 |
| Hansen Clark | 35.2% | 30,847 |
| Brenda Lawrence | 13.3% | 11,644 |
| Mary Waters | 3.3% | 2,919 |
| Bob Costello | 1.2% | 1,027 |
| Total Votes | 87,667 | |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Clarke won election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated John Hauler (R), Heidi Peterson (Libertarian), George Corsetti (Green), Duane Montgomery (Independent) and James Casha (Write-In) in the general election.[7]
| U.S. House, Michigan District 13, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Hansen Clarke |
79.4% | 100,885 | |
| Republican | John Hauler | 18.5% | 23,462 | |
| Libertarian | Heidi Peterson | 0.6% | 815 | |
| Green | George Corsetti | 0.8% | 1,032 | |
| Independent | Duane Montgomery | 0.7% | 881 | |
| Write-in | James Casha | 0% | 1 | |
| Total Votes | 127,076 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Clarke paid his congressional staff a total of $894,877in 2011. He ranked 25th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic representative staff salaries and ranked 139th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Michigan ranked 13th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[8]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Clarke's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $163,009 and $445,000. That averages to $304,004.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[9]
Political Positions
National Journal vote ratings
Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.
2012
According to the data released in 2013, Clarke ranked 32nd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[10]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Hansen Clarke was ranked one of the most liberal representatives during 2011. This is a position that is helb by eighteen other representatives. It is also the most liberal ranking held by one of Michigan's representatives.[11]
Voting with party
November 2011
Hansen Clarke voted with the Democratic Party 94.2 percent of the time, which ranked 47 among the 192 House Democratic members as of December 2011.[12]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Clarke is married to Choi Palms-Cohen. They live in Detroit.[13]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Hansen + Clarke + Michigan + House
See also
- Michigan's 14th Congressional District elections, 2014
- Michigan's 14th Congressional District
- Michigan's 14th Congressional District elections, 2012
- United States House of Representatives
- Michigan's 13th Congressional District
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Financial (state level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Associated Press, "Michigan - Summary Vote Results," accessed May 30, 2014
- ↑ GovTrack, "Clarke," accessed May 17, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress, "Hansen Clarke," accessed December 23, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "House of Representatives Committee Assignments," accessed December 23, 2011
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "2012 primary results," accessed August 8, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed December 23, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Hansen Clarke," accessed April 15, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Clarke, (D-Michigan), 2010," accessed April 15, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ Official House Site, "Biography," accessed December 24, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carolyn Kilpatrick |
U.S. House of Representatives - Michigan, District 13 2011-2013 |
Succeeded by John Conyers, Jr. |
| Preceded by ' |
Michigan State Senate 2003-2010 |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
Michigan House of Representatives 1991, 1999-2003 |
Succeeded by ' |
