Rep. Clarke Almost Lost Race Because Influx Of New Voters: Report

PARK SLOPE, NY — Rep. Yvette Clarke nearly lost her longtime central Brooklyn seat to first-time candidate Adem Bunkeddeko last week because of concerns of her being "checked out" of the job and an influx of new residents voting against her, the New York Post reported.

Clarke barely defeated challenger Bunkeddeko last week for the Ninth Congressional District — which covers Park Slope, Brownsville, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Sheepshead Bay and Windsor Terrace — with only a little over 1,000 votes securing the seat.

The Post reported that new residents moving into gentrifying neighborhoods Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, along with voters in Park Slope, nearly led to Bunkeddeko upsetting Clarke for the seat. Using mapping data from the CUNY Graduate Center, the Post found the bulk of Bunkeddeko's votes came from neighborhoods in the district with recent population booms.

Former staffers also told the paper that Clarke accomplished little since she was elected in 2006 and has constantly been late to events during her tenure.

"To say that she was chronically tardy I believe was factually accurate," a former worker for Clarke told the Post. "She didn't really care."

Despite the tight primary, Clarke's still expected to sail through to re-election in November against Republican challenger Lutchi Gayot as the Ninth District traditionally votes Democratic.

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