Kimberly Klacik
 |
Kimberly Klacik | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kimberly Nicole Bray January 19, 1982 Accokeek, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jeffrey Thomas Klacik (m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | Campaign website |
Kimberly Nicole Klacik (née Bray; born January 19, 1982) is an American businesswoman and politician. She is the Republican nominee for Maryland's 7th congressional district in the 2020 election. Klacik lost an April 2020 special election held following the death of incumbent Elijah Cummings, to Democratic candidate Kweisi Mfume.
Biography
Klacik grew up in Accokeek, Maryland.[1] She attended Bowie State University, but did not receive a degree.[2] She moved to Baltimore in 2010.[1]
In 2013, Klacik founded Potential Me, a nonprofit that assists women with workforce development.[3][4] In a report, Courthouse News concluded that Klacik's non-profit filed only one tax return since 2013, reporting a revenue of under $7,000 and expenditures under $3,000, for providing clothing to 10 people.[5] The report further found that some of Klacik's claims on her campaign website about Potential Me could not be corroborated.[5]
Political career
Klacik serves on the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.[1] Fox News has called her a "Republican strategist" and noted her critiques of Elijah Cummings and the living standards and safety issues in his district.[6]
A July 2019 interview of Klacik on Fox News was speculated to have been impetus for President Donald Trump attacking both the city of Baltimore and Congressman Elijah Cummings on Twitter.[7] Klacik responded to Trump's Twitter attack on Baltimore and Cummings by Tweeting, "This just made my day."[8]
April 2020 special election
Klacik ran in the special election for Maryland's 7th Congressional District to replace incumbent representative Elijah Cummings who died in October 2019. After winning the Republican primary she faced Kweisi Mfume, a former Democratic holder of the seat. In the general election Klacik received 25.1 percent of the votes, losing to Mfume who received 73.8 percent.[9]
November 2020 election
Maryland's 7th District, which includes parts of Baltimore County, the majority of Howard County, and more than half of Baltimore City, has been represented by Democrats for decades. No Republican has ever held the seat.[10] Klacik, who does not live in the district, promised to move there if elected.[3] She won the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.[11][12]
On August 18, 2020, Klacik's campaign released a viral video, titled "Black Lives Don't Matter To Democrats", which was filmed in a dilapidated area of Baltimore.[13][14] The video shows her asking three residents whether they wanted to defund the police, and they said that they did not.[15][14] Klacik also criticized the Democratic leaders of Maryland's 7th congressional district, citing Baltimore's alleged notoriety as being among the most dangerous cities in America. The video, posted on Twitter, garnered 4.4 million views its first day, reaching 10 million views by August 22, 2020.[16][17] Fact-checking site Snopes analyzed the video and found it to be misleading. It presented an area of Baltimore—with a higher poverty rate and more homicides than the 7th District overall—as representative of the district. The video was produced by Benny Johnson,[18] chief creative officer of Turning Point USA. While Klacik alleged in the video that it was showing a continuous walk, Snopes determined that it was filmed from different angles along both sides of a section of Whitelock Street that can be walked in two minutes.[19]
President Donald Trump retweeted her ad, stating that "Kimberly will work with the Trump Administration and we will bring Baltimore back, and fast. Don't blow it Baltimore, the Democrats have destroyed your city!"[20] Klacik was selected as one of the speakers on the first day of the 2020 Republican National Convention.[21][4] Her speech on August 24, 2020, was approximately two minutes long.[22]
Personal life
Kimberly Nicole Bray and Jeffrey Thomas Klacik were married in 2013.[23] They have a daughter and live in Middle River, Maryland.[3]
Electoral history
April 2020 special congressional election
- Republican primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kimberly Klacik | 4,525 | 40.2 | |
| Republican | Liz Matory | 2,740 | 24.3 | |
| Republican | James C. Arnold | 1,401 | 12.4 | |
| Republican | Reba A. Hawkins | 913 | 8.1 | |
| Republican | Christopher M. Anderson | 852 | 7.6 | |
| Republican | William Newton | 414 | 3.7 | |
| Republican | Ray Bly | 236 | 2.1 | |
| Republican | Brian L. Brown | 185 | 1.6 | |
| Total votes | 11,366 | 100 | ||
- General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kweisi Mfume | 111,955 | 73.8 | |
| Republican | Kimberly Klacik | 38,102 | 25.1 | |
| Write-In | Multiple canidates | 1,661 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 151,718 | 100 | ||
November 2020 congressional election
- Republican primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kimberly Klacik | 16,465 | 68.8 | |
| Republican | Liz Matory | 3,401 | 14.2 | |
| Republican | William Newton | 1,271 | 5.3 | |
| Republican | Ray Bly | 1,234 | 5.2 | |
| Republican | Brian L. Brown | 1,134 | 4.7 | |
| Republican | M.J. Madwolf | 442 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 23,947 | 100 | ||
References
- ^ a b c "Vote Kimberly Klacik for Maryland District #7". kimkforcongress.com. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Carter, Vic (June 23, 2020). "Republican Kimberly Klacik Says 'Innovative Ideas' Set Her Apart In 7th Congressional District Race 7". Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c Campbell, Colin (August 17, 2020). "Who's Kimberly Klacik? Fast facts about the Republican who won Maryland's 7th District special primary". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2020. Article available to subscribers only.
- ^ a b "Maryland GOP congressional candidate to speak at RNC". Associated Press. August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Ericson Jr., Edward (April 28, 2020). "A Mail-In Experiment in Baltimore's 7th Congressional District". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ Betz, Bradford (July 27, 2019). "GOP strategist calls Elijah Cummings' district 'most dangerous' in America". Fox News. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore County Republican's tweets may have prompted Trump's tweets on Baltimore". WBAL-TV. July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ Broadwater, Luke (July 30, 2019). "Kimberly Klacik sparked a Trump tweetstorm, raised the ire of Baltimore leaders ... and gained 60,000 followers". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Official 2020 Special General Election results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. May 12, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Maryland 7th Congressional district special general results". The Washington Post. April 28, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
No Republican has ever represented Maryland's 7th congressional district, which includes most of the city of Baltimore.
- ^ "2020 Presidential Primary Dates and Candidate Filing Deadlines for Ballett Access" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ a b "Official 2020 Presidential Primary Election results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. July 2, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ Meara, Paul (August 20, 2020). "Trump Endorses Black GOP Candidate Kim Klacik Who's Running For Elijah Cummings' Former Maryland District". BET.
- ^ a b "Black Lives Don't Matter To Democrats". YouTube. August 23, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore Republican House Candidate Kimberly Klacik Viral Campaign Ad: Democrats Have Failed Baltimore, Black People". RealClearPolitics. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Nelson, Steven (August 18, 2020). "Baltimore Republican Kim Klacik shows 'reality for black people' in viral ad". New York Post. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ Klar, Rebecca (August 18, 2020). "Republican running for Elijah Cummings's seat goes viral with Black Lives Matter ad". The Hill. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ Concha, Joe (February 6, 2019). "Daily Caller reporter Benny Johnson joining Turning Point USA". The Hill. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Rebecca (August 25, 2020). "Kim Klacik: Investigating Her Viral Campaign Ad Touring Baltimore's Streets". Snopes. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ Gessler, Paul (August 18, 2020). "Kimberly Klacik's New Ad Draws National Attention For 7th District Race, But A Johns Hopkins Political Scientist Says Odds Are Still Long For Republican Win". CBS Baltimore.
- ^ Elbeshbishi, Sarah; Cummings, William (August 20, 2020). "Who will speak at the RNC? What we know about the newly released lineup". USA Today. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ "In RNC Speech, Kimberly Klacik Takes Aim At Democrats: 'We're Not Buying The Lies Anymore'". CBS Baltimore. August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Klacik Wedding - May 5, 2013". Rebecca Yvonne Webb (Wordpress.com). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Official 2020 7th Congressional District Special Primary Election results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. February 21, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.