Now that Nick Perry is out of the race for the 11th Congressional District, I predict that Yvette Clarke will make major changes within her campaign team. Yvette, who has now emerged as the favorite to win the seat, will bring in a new campaign manager/ management team soon. Her current manager will be either axed or reassigned, if it hasn’t been done already. Note that this is the same manager who came in, with lots of fanfare about four months ago. Word is that Yvette wants to shift gears and move into winning stride. It’s her race to lose. She will revamp the campaign as a way to invigorate a soporific start.
From my vantage point, Nick Perry’s withdrawal helps Ms. Clarke, who was runner-up for this seat 2 years ago. She is widely expected to pick up a huge chunk of the Caribbean-American vote in this district. The fact that she is the only female in the race only enhances her chance for an election-night victory. She has about 10,000 votes to build on from her last congressional challenge, and many pundits think that 15,000 votes could be a winning number here. Yet, despite all these favorables, rumors abound about her candidacy. Even as I write this, there are rumors of her withdrawing and throwing her support to Carl Andrews (something I seriously doubt), in a stop Chris Owens move. There are other persistent rumors that her fundraising is going nowhere. It would serve Yvette’s campaign well, to put those rumors to bed once and for all. She is a young lady with lots of potential. As much as I respect the intellect of Chris Owens, I do wish Yvette well.