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Uncle Luke lost his congressional primary Tuesday, but the 2 Live Crew pioneer left Broward with one final warning about Black political power.
In a statement posted after local outlets called the race, the rapper and community activist congratulated Debbie Wasserman Schultz and thanked his supporters.
“I believe God is always in control. Tonight, God decided that serving in Congress was not the assignment He had for me at this moment. I accept that, and I will wait faithfully for whatever assignment He has for me next.”
Florida’s unofficial election-night tally gave Wasserman Schultz 30,480 votes, or 45.32 percent, from 67,260 ballots cast in the Democratic race.
Dale Holness followed with 15,547 votes, Elijah Manley had 9,367, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick had 6,187, and Luke finished fifth with 5,679.
Combined, the four Black candidates received 36,780 votes, or 54.68 percent. Florida primaries require only a plurality, so Wasserman Schultz did not need more than half of the vote to advance.
Before Election Day, Luke told AllHipHop he saw Wasserman Schultz’s entry and Congressional Black Caucus silence as co-opting political power in a historically Black-held district.
“Their silence gives her the opportunity to run around telling, in my opinion lies that, you know, they support her. They support her doing this which is again erasing another African-American seat to be represented by an African-American district.”
CBS Miami reported that Luke, Holness, Manley and Cherfilus-McCormick discussed consolidating the field before qualifying ended, but no agreement emerged.
The area’s Democratic congressional seat has sent Black representatives to Washington since Alcee Hastings won in 1992, making representation central to the campaign.
Luke also used his concession to repeat concerns about institutions he believed failed Black voters during the race.
“But this campaign was not in vain. We brought people together, energized voters, and exposed serious deficiencies that must be addressed within the Congressional Black Caucus and the broader political process. Those conversations cannot end because this election is over.”
“We may not have won the seat, but our work for the people does not stop here.”
Wasserman Schultz now advances to the November 3 general election against Republican Brent Andersen and independent candidate Kedner Maxime.
