In 1976, Clarke was elected to the
North Carolina House of Representatives as a Democrat. In 1980 he was elected to the
North Carolina Senate. In the
1982 election Clarke was elected to the
98th United States Congress representing
North Carolina's 11th congressional district. He was reelected to the
100th and
101st Congresses. In Congress, he was known as an advocate for the
environment. In the 1980s Clarke's congressional campaigns became nationally famous due to his long-running rivalry with Republican
Bill Hendon. In 1982 Clarke defeated then-Congressman Hendon by less than 1,500 votes. In 1984 Hendon gained revenge by defeating Clarke's bid for a second term by just two percentage points. In 1986, Clarke defeated Hendon's bid for re-election by only one percentage point. Although Hendon then retired from politics, Clarke's seat remained competitive. In 1988 Republican
Charles H. Taylor came within one percentage point of defeating Clarke; in 1990 Taylor unseated Clarke in another close election. Given his age (he was 73 at the time of his loss to Taylor), Clarke decided to retire from politics. ==Personal life==