Legacy of Detroit’s Kilpatrick family likely ends with congresswoman’s loss in primary

Congresswoman’s loss signals end to family’s reign

DETROIT — The formidable machine that helped keep Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in Congress and put her son, Kwame, in the Detroit mayor’s office may have finally ground to a halt.

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick was defeated this week in her bid for an eighth term in the Democratic primary.

The small army of people dedicated to keeping her and her son in office was called “Team Kilpatrick.” They knocked on doors, passed out literature and got people to the polls.

Until now, it always worked.

Unlike other members of Congress rejected by voters this year, Kilpatrick was not the victim of a political climate hostile to incumbents.

The problem was her last name. It became a symbol of political dysfunction during the scandals that put her son in prison.