[6][7] Clarke entered Congress after defeating incumbent Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in the 2010 Democratic primary for the 13th congressional district.

In 2012, due to redistricting, fellow incumbent Gary Peters chose to run against Clarke in the 14th congressional district primary.

His father was a Bengali immigrant from Beanibazar in Sylhet, British India (now Bangladesh), and his mother was African-American.

Clarke's father died when he was eight years old and his mother worked as a crossing guard to support her family.

[citation needed] Clarke faced fellow Congressman Gary Peters and Southfield mayor Brenda Lawrence in the primary.

[citation needed] Peters emerged as the winner, and defeated Republican John Hauler in November.

He won approval in Congress to increase funding to improve nutrition for low-income families, provide housing for homeless veterans, and better equip and staff local police, fire, and emergency medical providers to bolster homeland security.

This bill inspired a national movement, including a petition in support of his legislation that received more than one million signatures that urged Congress to pass H.R.

[19] Clarke worked to reduce crime and restore hope by addressing the urgent crisis of illiteracy among African-American and Hispanic men.

[20] Rep. Clarke also introduced the first federal legislation to "Ban the Box," which would prohibit unfair discrimination against job applicants with certain criminal backgrounds.

[29] They married in 2007, after meeting at the offices of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she worked.