Yvette Clarke. (photo: colbertnation.com)

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke went on The Colbert Report last night, where she argued some questionable points regarding her borough's history. Notably, Ms. Clarke contended that the Dutch continued the practice of slavery in Brooklyn in 1898.

However, the Netherlands lost control of its colonies in the area to England in the 1674 Treaty of Westminster. Also, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution officially outlawed slavery in 1865.

View the transcript and the video below:

Colbert: Some have called Brooklyn's decision to become part of New York City, "The Great Mistake of 1898." If you could get in a time machine and go back to 1898, what would you say to those Brooklynites?

...

Clarke: I would say to them, "Set me free!"

Colbert: From?

Clarke: Slavery.

Colbert: Slavery. Really? I didn't realize there was slavery in Brooklyn in 1898.

Clarke: I'm pretty sure there was.

Colbert: It sounds like a horrible part of the United States that kept slavery going until 1898.

Clarke: Uh ...

Colbert: Who would be enslaving you in 1898 in New York?

Clarke: The Dutch.

Colbert: Those sneaky Dutch bastards.

Clarke: Exactly.

Grace Meng declaring victory with a plethora of elected officials and press surrounding her.

After much tension and circumstance, today's primary elections for federal elections have come to a close, and there were few surprises to be found.

In each congressional race, the candidate of the conventional wisdom emerged victorious and all incumbents that sought to return to Washington D.C. next year are now set to do so -- at least in parts of heavily Democratic New York City where primary elections are the actual contest.

The list of primary champions includes Reps. Charlie Rangel, Nydia Velázquez and Yvette Clarke, with open seat contenders Hakeem Jeffries and Grace Meng added in as well.

In the U.S. Senate race, attorney Wendy Long defeated Re. Bob Turner and  Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and will challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall.

In the hotly contested race to challenge Hudson Valley Rep. Nan Hayworth, attorney Sean Patrick Maloney defeated his rivals and clinched the nomination.

Notably among the results, the much-hyped race between Councilman Charles Barron and Mr. Jeffries didn't turn out to be much of an affair after all. Mr. Jeffries absolutely dominated the vote, winning close to three quarters of the ballots.

Members of the stop and frisk delegation including State Senator Adriano Espaillat, Councilwoman Mellissa Mark-Viverito and Assemblyman Karim Camara meeting with officials in Washington.

A number of New York City and State elected officials are in Washington D.C. this afternoon to address their concerns about the NYPD's controversial stop and frisk policy. They are calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the NYPD's use of stop and frisk as a civil rights violation.  The NYPD stopped a record number of people last year, the vast majority of whom were minorities.

“New Yorkers are fed up with this policy that continually targets our communities,” Assemblyman Karim Camara, Chairman of the New York State Black Puerto Rican Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus said in a statement. “The numbers tell a tragic story. One recent report said that more young black men were stopped than actually lived in the city.  We cannot get away from the fact that there is implicit racial bias in this tactic used by the NYPD.  Since City officials refuse to listen, we are taking our cause to Washington.  It’s time for some high-powered back up to advocate for the civil rights of New Yorkers.”

The delegation is holding closed-door meetings with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. They also delivered a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.

“Last year alone, New York City Officers stopped 684,330 people under the stop-and-frisk policy. This amounted to a 14 percent jump from the previous year. Even more shocking is the 600 percent increase in stops made since the data collection began in 2002," the letter said. "Most of those who are stopped are not arrested or even issued a summons; further igniting concern that the policy amounts to nothing more than racial profiling and harassment.”

Members of the delegation included Mr. Camara, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman, Congressman Charlie Rangel, Mr. Rangel's primary opponent in the 13th District, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, Councilman Jumaane Williams and several other members of the State Legislature and New York City Council.

"'Stop and Frisk' is an assault on the civil rights of New Yorkers," said Mr. Espaillat, who is Chair of the State Senate's Latino Caucus. "It harms law and order by creating distrust between police and local communities; it violates the civil liberties of individuals who are stopped without rhyme or reason; and it violates every notion of justice and due process our society is built on. The Federal Government has an important role to play in protecting the rights of citizens and we are calling on the Justice Department to step in and stop this unconstitutional and unjust practice from continuing."

(Photo: Getty)

After Crain's Insider reported Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was eyeing a run against Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, sources close to Mr. Markowitz walked back the campaign to City & State, saying although he had "strongly considered" the run, he was not moving forward with his campaign.

This afternoon, Mr. Markowitz's office released a statement saying the Borough President was furthermore endorsing Ms. Clarke for reelection.

“I am flattered by all of the encouragement I have received to take my ‘Brooklyn attitude’ to Washington and make sure everyone in our nation’s capital knows that Brooklyn is ‘in the House,’" he said, characteristically dropping in Brooklyn-themed phrases. "However, my dream job has always been Brooklyn Borough President and I intend to make my final 21 months in office the most productive ever."

"Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has represented Brooklyn and her constituents well, and I wholeheartedly support her bid for re-election," he added.

Mr. Markowitz pulling the plug on his campaign leaves attorney Sylvia Kinard as the sole candidate currently challenging Ms. Clarke in the June 26th Democratic primary.

(Photo: Getty)

Possibly confirming rumors that Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is thinking about challenging Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Crain's Insider reported today, "Sources close to Borough President Marty Markowitz confirm he's mulling a run for Congress," against her.

Update: City & State reports although sources close to Mr. Markowitz admit he had “strongly considered” the race, he will not ultimately be taking the plunge.

As both Crain's and other political observers have noted, Ms. Clarke's district absorbed substantial swaths of southern Brooklyn in redistricting, which, with their high Jewish population, would be very friendly territory to Mr. Markowitz's hypothetical campaign.

"Marty would win Orthodox vote. Yvette Clarke's record on Israel is abysmal," Councilman David Greenfield tweeted last night, adding, "I say this without hesitation: Marty Markowitz is the single most popular elected official in all of Brooklyn. #EverybodyLovesMarty."

Because Ms. Clarke represents a majority-black district and Mr. Markowitz is white, he would have to be prepared for strong charges if he were to pull the trigger for such a campaign. Crain's reported, "A source close to Clarke's office said Markowitz could catch heat for challenging the black congresswoman in a predominantly black district protected by the Voting Rights Act."

Then-Councilman David Yassky caught a lot of such heat during his own run against Ms. Clarke in 2006, when the seat was open. The departing Congressman, Major Owens, called Mr. Yassky a "colonizer" while Al Sharpton called him "greedy."

However, Mr. Markowitz, who represented a majority-Caribbean and African-American district in the State Senate before becoming Borough President, could be comfortable with the situation.

Attorney Sylvia Kinard is also running against Ms. Clarke.

Last week, the court presented a draft map which contained a number of substantial changes to the electoral landscape. Notably, Congressmen Bob Turner, Maurice Hinchey, and Gary Ackerman saw their districts dismantled. Two of these districts inevitably had to be cut, as New York is required to lose two Congressional Districts this cycle. The plan additionally created a new Asian-plurality district in Queens that Mr. Ackerman has vowed to campaign for.

(Mr. Turner may be currently exploring a possible run for the U.S. Senate and Mr. Hinchey is retiring.)

Tonight's map is basically identical to the previous submission, but one particularly significant change in New York City stands out. Brooklyn Representatives Yvette Clarke and Ed Towns traded territory so areas of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill would be returned to Mr. Towns' district. As these neighborhoods are the home and base of one of Mr. Towns' challengers, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Mr. Jeffries may find an easier electoral path forward for his ambitions in the latest set of lines.

View the maps below:

Sylvia Kinard (Photo: Facebook)

Sylvia Kinard, an attorney and the second wife of the Democrat's 2009 mayoral nominee Bill Thompson, is pushing forward with her efforts to unseat Central Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Two days ago, she registered a committee with the Federal Elections Commission that will allow her to formally raise and spend money for her campaign.

She also has the beginning stages of a campaign website set up, and from the biography on the site, it seems she will emphasize her business and legal experience in the campaign:

"Rev. Sylvia Gail Kinard, Esq. is a well-respected attorney, entrepreneur and community leader. Her demeanor is one of confidence and grace. She has distinguished herself as an expert in faith based community development, as an advocate for the formerly incarcerated and for expanding small business opportunities for women and minorities."

It's uncertain how strong Ms. Kinard's candidacy at this point. However, her campaign, which reportedly will make a pitch to the district's Jewish residents, may find some optimism in the court's initial redistricting map. Under the proposed plan, Ms. Clarke's district will contain more Jewish neighborhoods in southern Brooklyn and 30% of the residents in her new district will have never voted for Ms. Clarke before.

For her part, Ms. Kinard is likely to be criticized for her Republican past while serving in former Governor George Pataki's administration.

The primary date is June 26th.