At first there was Gov. Bobby Jindal from Louisiana. Then there was Nikki Haley from South Carolina. Now, there is a new contender in the Desi-Running-For-Governor category. Hansen Clarke from Michigan announced today that he is running for Governor in 2010.
State Sen. Hansen Clarke tossed his hat in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday, only hours after Lt. Gov. John Cherry withdrew from the race, vowing “no more excuses and no more passing the buck.” The 52-year-old Detroit Democrat, [joins] an increasingly crowded primary field…[michiganmessenger]
Clarke served six years in the House before being elected twice to the Senate. A lawyer, he also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Detroit. [chicagotribune]
I know what you are thinking. He’s 52?!?!? At least, that’s what everyone around me is saying. I like to think Desis age well. And yes, he is Desi. Bangladeshi, to be accurate.
Hansen Hashem Clarke… was first elected to the Michigan State Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. He is son of Mozaffar Ali Hashem, a Bangladeshi, and Telma Ali, an US citizen. His father was born at Sridhara village of Beani Bazar upazila in Sylhet district. [newnation]
An only child, Hansen Clarke grew up in a working class neighborhood on Detroit’s lower east side. His father passed away when he was only eight years old and his mother supported the family with a job as a school crossing guard. Food stamps helped fill in the gaps. [michigansenate]
In 2007, Hansen went with the Bangladeshi American Public Affairs Committee (BAPAC) to Bangladesh. Here’s a video of him speaking to his father’s village on that trip and it seems like he’s trying to build a partnership with Bangladesh (though how much of it is campaign talk, who knows).
As we all know, Michigan is getting the hardest hit by this recession. The Detroit area has the largest unemployment rate in the region. It should be no surprise then that his main issue is a healthy state economy.
Clarke has been traveling statewide to promote his plan for cutting auto insurance rates by 20 percent and says he will campaign on lowering costs in many areas for struggling businesses and families. [chicagotribune]
Senator Clarke brings additional influence to Detroit by way of his recent appointment as Democratic Vice Chair to two Committees - Health Policy; Commerce and Tourism - and he also serves on the Judiciary; Banking and Financial Institutions; Government Operations and Reform Committees. The Senator’s primary focus this year is to create jobs and provide affordable health care for everyone in Michigan. [senatemichigan]
What are his chances? Looks pretty slim. It’s a heated primary race with many people jockeying for the Democratic Governor nomination. He’s not well known outside of the Detroit metropolitan area, (even I hadn’t heard about him till today) and he’ll have to ramp up his name recognition throughout the state. But word on the street has it that he’s a friendly smart guy, and it seems that he may soon have the backing of Indian American Leadership Initiative and APA for Progress. Definitely a campaign to keep a Sepia Mutiny eye on as we enter the 2010 Elections.
And ladies, rumor has it he’s married. Though I haven’t been able to verify through a print source. I’m just sayin’.
