Congressmen Campaign In New Districts For First Time
SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - A couple of incumbent Democrat Congressmen are campaigning in a re-drawn district for the first time.
Redistricting done under the watch of a Republican State Legislature and Governor Rick Snyder has resulted in a territory that incorporates parts of the City of Detroit and the Grosse Pointes in Wayne County, up into Oakland County.
First-term Detroit Congressman Hansen Clarke isn't complaining, though.
"We're all the same, you know, we're all Detroiters in one way or another," said Clarke. "And even if we're not from Detroit, we all want the same thing, the American Dream, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So, I'm trying to help people get jobs and stay out of debt."
The redistricting has pitted Clarke against two-term fellow Democrat incumbent Congressman Gary Peters -- who is experiencing the district in reverse, coming from his old seat that was exclusively in Oakland County but now includes those (aforementioned) parts of Wayne County.
Clarke said when he's knocking on doors in Oakland County, he runs into people he graduated with -- from Cass Tech.
"As a matter of fact, I visited an Eastside church which has a suburban ministry out in Southfield," said Clarke. "So it has the Eastside church still based in the neighborhood I grew up in but the old Eastsiders actually moved out to Southfield so now they go to church at their suburban campus."
Clarke said his goal is the same regardless of territory lines: make sure there are enough jobs for everyone in his district.
