For the second time this election year, Democratic primary voters have defeated a veteran black member of Congress who had been hit with corruption charges, as voters on Tuesday rejected the re-election bid of Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), making her the fifth U.S.House incumbent to be defeated in 2016.
Brown was indicted in July on federal charges that she funneled money supposedly raised for an education fund to her own personal use; the 12 term lawmaker joins ex-Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) in being defeated this year under an ethical cloud.
Fattah resigned his seat in Congress after he was found guilty; that trial verdict came after voters had already delivered a primary defeat.
Brown is the fifth incumbent to lose in the Congress this year, as the House is guaranteed to have at least 49 new faces in January; that number is expected to go up even more in November.
Brown's troubles though were more than just her indictment, as a recent change in district lines gave her a big chunk of territory that she had never represented.
The winner was Al Lawson, a former state Senator in Florida. Because the district is so heavily Democratic, Lawson will be the big favorite in November.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
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