Rep. William Lacy Clay steamrolled over a fellow Democratic Member in today's primary. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
You can’t say Rep. William Lacy Clay (D) isn’t a man of his word.
In May 2011, after redistricting put him and fellow Democratic Rep. Russ Carnahan in the same urban St. Louis district, Clay was direct when asked about the potential primary: “I will run, and I will win decisively,” he promised at the time.
Today, Clay beat Carnahan in the Democratic primary, and his win was indeed decisive. With 60 percent of precincts reporting, the Associated Press called the race for Clay, who had 65 percent of the vote. Carnahan only had 35 percent.
Carnahan, a four-term Congressman and son of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan (D), never really had a clear shot at winning the newly configured seat, which only included about one-third of his constituents. Carnahan, who is white, also faced tricky racial dynamics running in a majority-minority district against Clay, who is black. Full story
