Black members of Congress are 5 and 0 so far this primary season. Challenges to five senior members who had primary opponents sporting impressive resumes have all been defeated by the senior members. Many lopsided results indicate the difficulty of unseating incumbent members of Congress.
Of 43 African Americans currently serving in Congress, 11 are over the age of 70 and 22 are 65 or older. Though the turnover of senior members would appear to be around the corner, retirement may end up being the primary reason for that turnover.
Several longshot challengers attempting to unseat longterm incumbents have failed by large margins.
- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), 76, beat local lawyer Taj Clayton, 35, and another challenger by a large margin this week with AP calling the election only 30 minutes after polls closed.
- Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), 66, who faced his last primary challenge 20 years ago when he was first elected in 1992, won with over 80% of the vote over lawyer Matt Newton, 32, on May 8.
- Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), 64, who was first elected in 1992, won with 87% of the vote against Mayor Heather McTeer, 36, in March.
- Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), 61, faced a primary challenge and won with 93% of the vote.
- Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), 47, faced a primary challenge by former Rep. Debbie Halvorson in a race followed closely in the press. Jackson won with 71% of the vote.
- Civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), 72, who has been in congress for a quarter of a century, also has a challenger for his July 31 primary. Lewis’ race features familiar themes used by challengers of long serving Black members. Lewis’ challenger is a young impressive opponent, Judge Michael Johnson, who is asserting that the incumbent has been “in Washington too long” and that “new blood” is needed. The same themes were used against Reps. Thompson and Johnson in Mississippi and Texas and did not work.
Similar campaign themes are being used against the two oldest Black members of Congress, Reps. John Conyers, 83, (D-MI), and Charlie Rangel, 82, (D-NY). The political fates of Rangel and Conyers will be known within the next 90 days on June 26 and August 7. Both Rangel and Conyers are running in newly drawn districts.
But as the press focuses on “new blood” challengers, there are several African American candidates on the horizon a few of whom are certain to join the 113th Congress next year.
On July 31, Marc Veasey, 41, will pursue a bid for the Democratic nomination in a brand new Texas congressional seat. Nevada State Rep. Steve Horsford, 39, will run in Nevada’s new 4th district and is favored to win. After the retirement of Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, 42, is likely to be in Congress next year. His primary is June 26.
On June 5, Newark City Councilman Don Payne Jr., 53, is the favorite to take his father’s seat in Congress. Utah’s Mia Love, 37, will challenge incumbent Congressman Jim Matheson in Utah’s second district to, perhaps, become the first Black female Republican ever elected to Congress in history. Former Ohio State Represenative Joyce Beatty, 62, is running in Ohio’s 3rd district, which has been redrawn. She will face Republican Mike Turner.
Though the string of victories for senior Black members is likely to end on Tuesday as Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) faces Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA) for the Democratic nomination for California’s new 44th district, there is also a chance the two most senior Black members could both prevail within the next three months. By the end of August the true power of the incumbency will be known.
LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE, Politic365 Chief Congressional Correspondent, publishes the blog Crewof42 on the Congressional Black Caucus. She is heard every Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET on WMCS 1290 in Milwaukee on Earl Ingram’s show The Evening Rush as well as on WPFW every Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Washington DC. You can e-mail her at LBurke007@gmail.com follow her on twitter at @crewof42.
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The map in Ohio has been redrawn. Turner's in the 10th in Dayton, Beatty is in Columbus (she's facing some nobody)
Except for Mel Watt, none of these incumbents seem to have a clue about the workings of the economy or commerce. They continuously spin the old "We Shall Overcome" narrative and get away with riding it into office for another two years…Good article, Lauren.
[...] news? The “rest of the story is that Clayton lost the primary, to incumbent Eddie Bernice Johnson, who will probably coast to victory in the general election in November (is there even a Republican [...]