Gary Peters Wins 14th Congressional District Race For U.S. House

Gary Peters Called Victor Over Hansen Clarke In 14th Congresssional Race

Rep Gary Peters was called the victor after 11 p.m. Tuesday night in his race against a fellow Democrat incumbent, as supporters gathered at a party held Tuesday night at the Atheneum Hotel in Detroit's Greektown district.

With 82 percent of precincts reporting, Peters led the field with 48 percent of votes. His strongest opponent and fellow colleague in the U.S. House, Hansen Clarke, was polling at 35 percent. Opponents Brenda Lawrence, mayor of the Metro Detroit suburb of Southfield, garnered 13 percent of the vote.

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One of the most-talked about races across the state of Michigan, this election in a newly-designed district pitted two popular Democrat incumbents against each other for a position in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The new 14th Congressional District meanders from Pontiac to the Grosse Pointes, now including voters in Oakland County and Detroit. It's one of Michigan's two majority-minority voting districts, which are designed by the 1965 Voters Rights Act to contain a majority of the state's minority voters. As this district is heavily Democrat, the winner is likely to be elected in the November general election.

Rep. Gary Peters, formerly of the 9th Congressional District, has served in the House since 2009. He's credited with being an instrumental force behind President Obama's work to save the auto industry. Peters racked up an astonishing number of endorsements during his campaign in the 14th Congressional District, from groups as diverse as the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Black Slate and the UAW. He also led the race in campaign fundraising for 2012. Congressman Peters serves on the House Financial Services and Small Business Committees in the U.S. House.

His opponent, Rep. Hansen Clarke, also jumped to the newly-formed 14th Congressional District, rather than running against Rep. John Conyers. Clarke has made headlines of late by sponsoring a bill calling for student loan forgiveness, taking Fannie Mae to task over local mortgage disputes and even badgering President Obama to direct federal aid to Detroit.

Before You Go

Michigan Primary 2012: Politicians On The Line

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