Congresswoman Yvette Clarke

WASHINGTON, June 14, CMC – US President Barack Obama has endorsed Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke for re-election in November to the US House of Representatives in New York’s re-drawn ninth Congressional District.

“Representative Yvette Clarke has stood by my side as we tried to create an economy where everyone has an opportunity to own a home, support their family, and look forward to a secure retirement,” Obama said on Wednesday.

“For over a decade Representative Yvette Clarke has been working to give a voice to the voiceless, whether it was improving educational opportunity for children, expanding access to healthcare for women in need, or helping small businesses expand and add new jobs.

A two-term New York City Council member and three-term Congresswoman, Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has been representing the neighbourhood where she grew up for over a decade. Each member of the US House of Representatives is elected/re-elected every two years.

Since being elected to the US Congress in 2006, Clarke has introduced over two dozen bills, tackling issues ranging from the environment to education.

She has described herself as a “champion on immigration, small business and homeland security issues”.

Clarke sits on the Homeland Security and Small Business Committees in the US House of Representatives.

She also serves as secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus and is senior whip of the Democratic Caucus.

Obama called Clarke “ a true public servant”, adding, “we need her back in Congress, to continue to fight for residents of Central Brooklyn and for our nation.”

Clarke thanked Obama for his endorsement, adding that she looks forward to “going back to Washington to work with him and to fight for the people of Central Brooklyn”.