Kilpatrick Turns The Other Cheek

In the most-watched primary of the night, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI 13) eked by two well-known Dems in a contest that centered on Kilpatrick’s scandal-plagued son, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D). Kilpatrick defeated ex-state Rep. Mary Waters (D) and state Sen. Martha Scott (D), 39-36-25%.

Waters ran the more aggressive campaign, as she began running TV ads early in the contest, mocking Kilpatrick for her support of her son. Waters also works for the Wayne Co. prosecutor, who has filed charges against the mayor.

But Scott is also well-known, and the splitting of the anti-Kilpatrick vote enabled Kilpatrick to slide through with a plurality and win the contest.

Late polls showed Kilpatrick with a slim lead, and that lead held through the election. While Waters ran a very focused campaign, she never gained enough traction to defeat a well-funded, and well-supported Kilpatrick. As the race drew to a close, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) appeared in the CD on her behalf.

Waters has made waves about mounting a third-party bid, but since the filing deadline to has passed, she’ll need to run a write-in campaign to challenge Kilpatrick. Either way, Kilpatrick looks safe for another two years.

(TIM SAHD)