Clarke Wins Brooklyn Congressional Primary

City Councilwoman Yvette Clarke won the hotly contested 11th District Congressional primary in Brooklyn yesterday. Clarke got 31% of the vote, with fellow City Council member - and the only white candidate in the four-way race - David Yassky getting 26%, State Senator Carl Andrews with 23% and Chris Owens, Mayor Owens who is retiring the Congressional seat, getting under 20%.

The race was very tight - when we checked returns last night, 68% of the district was reporting and Yassky led Clarke by 1%. At first, Yassky refused to concede, but then he changed his mind and conceded early this morning. The Observer has a look at all four candidates in the run-up to primary day - and did you know that someone issued a fake letter from Clarke saying she was dropping out of the race? It's unclear who was behind it, but we can't tell how that stacks up against forgetting that you didn't graduate from college, as Clarke did recently.

A political consultant told the Post that Clarke's late momentum in the race helped her win: "She was able to unite the Caribbean voters with the African-American voters and her momentum in the last moments put her over the top." Since Clarke is running opposed, she invoked Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman in Congress and who was also from the 11th District, in her acceptance speech: “She rewrote history. She was independent. She was brilliant."

NY1 has returns all for the elections.