New York Congressman Rangel faces tight fight in Democratic primary

NEW YORK — ­Congressman Charles Rangel and his opponent, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, pulled out all the stops over the weekend, as both Democrats held events in their battle over New York's 13th Congressional District, which includes the neighborhood of Harlem, and whose boundaries have changed as much as its ethnic makeup.

Rangel campaigned through a dizzying array of public appearances on Sunday, popping up at five of Harlem’s largest and most historic churches in the span of two hours, then speaking at an event held by the Association of Black Social Workers.

Rangel also picked up a flood of key endorsements on Sunday from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the New York Daily News and one of his 2012 opponents, Clyde Williams. The endorsers cited Rangel’s experience, track record of delivering for his constituents and his Washington connections.

Espaillat, who was endorsed by The New York Times, had seized on those very connections Friday, calling Rangel “a strong ally for the fat cats in Washington.”

“Rangel is part of the Washington elite that can’t get it done for America,” Espaillat said. “Not just for this area but for all of America.”

The stakes are high for Rangel, who at age 84 and the last politically active member of the “Gang of Four” — an African-American political coalition in New York that included former Mayor David Dinkins — is seeking his 23^rd consecutive term to represent a district that includes the iconic Apollo Theater and Columbia University. The area has seen a recent influx of development and a sharp rise in its Latino and white population. 

This falls in line with national trends, which say Latinos are the fastest growing population and that the United States is fast becoming a majority-minority nation.

A New York 1/Siena College poll had Rangel up 13 points over Espaillat as recently as Thursday, but this fight won't be any easy one for the incumbent. Rangel still has a solid block of support in Harlem, primarily among black voters, but many in more Latino areas like Washington Heights, Spanish Harlem and parts of the Bronx feel Rangel has served too long, is out of touch with the district and has not done enough to include Latinos.

It was that same “out of touch” thinking — about Rangel's former opponent — that allowed Rangel to defeat Adam Clayton Powell in 1970, when Rangel was in the State Assembly, in a heated Democratic primary race similar to the one he faces now with Espaillat. Poll watchers wonder if history could repeat itself.

Rangel may have trouble winning the Latino vote, especially in Washington Heights, where “Vote Espaillat” signs outnumber Rangel’s two-to-one. Yet the same can be said of Espaillat in the more solidly black parts of the district.

"If you had a racehorse that won 43 races, brings in the money, but the horse is old and experienced and knows the track — what would you do?" Rangel said Saturday at a Washington Heights storefront church, where he picked up endorsements from nearly a dozen Spanish-speaking ministers. 

"Would you send him to the glue factory?" Rangel asked, only to answer, "Hell no."

But Espaillat has charged it is that long tenure that has left Rangel, who was once chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, closer to Wall Street than to his own district. In a recent candidates’ debate, the state senator hammered the incumbent for his 1999 vote to repeal Glass-Steagall, the rule that once separated banks from risky securities deals, and for recent attempts to water down key parts of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

Rangel countered citing his longstanding professional relationship with former Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., but the New York Representative’s votes in recent years line up more closely with financial institutions than with Frank.

Rev. Michael Walrond, pastor at Harlem’s historic First Corinthian’s Baptist Church, and community activist Yolanda Garcia are also on Tuesday’s ballot, but the Rangel and Espaillat campaigns have primarily focused on each other.

In 2012, Rangel defeated Espaillat by fewer than 1,100 votes, leaving many Espaillat supporters feeling their candidate was cheated out of a win. At the time, there were reports some Spanish-speaking voters had difficulty in the voting booths because of a lack of translators, among other issues.

“Espaillat won the election last time. He had that chance but it was taken away from him,” said Espana Aristy, who owns a restaurant and has lived in the Washington Heights section of Harlem for more than 10 years.

Those election day problems may have cost Espaillat the votes that could have sent the state senator to Washington, and his team isn’t taking any chances this time.

“We’ve got a good legal team this time making sure every vote counts,” Espaillat said. “We’ve got more interpreters this time, we’ve asked the federal government to step in,” to make sure everyone has access to the services they need to cast their votes properly come Tuesday.

Aristy, who became a naturalized citizen in 2006, says she’s voting for Espaillat not because he is Hispanic, but because she has seen how his work has affected the community, and she thinks it's time for “new blood” in the district’s leadership.

“I am voting for him because I belong to this community and I’ve seen his work. It’s not because of nationality — it’s because of the work he has done. I could be anything [another race] and I would still vote Espaillat,” she said.

Rangel has said he was overconfident in the last election, and that may have contributed to the close vote. He was also rocked by a scandal in 2010, leading the House to censure him for ethical violations and strip him of his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

Rangel also faces a backlash from constituents who feel he has failed them.

Sitting on a bench along the northern side of Central Park with friends, Ora Smith, an African-American, offered a scathing critic of Rangel.

“I am not voting for Rangel. He lied to me in my face! Rangel makes promises he can’t keep,” she said, referring to the Congressman’s promise to support a group of residents protesting in local residential buildings over the lack of maintenance.

Smith’s friend Richard Archer shared her views.

“I’ve been keeping him [Rangel] in office since the 1960’s. I have always voted for him no matter what,” he said. “But this time, this is it. He needs to ride off into the sunset and let someone new come in.” 

As much as it is a must-win for Rangel, the primary is also a test of the Latino vote in the district, which was expanded in 2012 to include some parts of the Bronx. That change lead to a significant bump in the Latino vote.

For his part, Espaillat is still dealing with the aftermath of his 1999 vote to abolish the commuter tax in New York City — a decision that has resulted in a loss of “almost $10 billion over the past 15 years,” according to the Daily News, and also cost Espaillat the paper's endorsement.

Vivian Martinez, a Harlem resident from the Dominican Republic, says she’s voting for Rangel because she doesn’t trust Espaillat.

“Espaillat may be playing too close to the tea party," she said. "Honestly I’d like to see Rangel retire, but given the choice between the two candidates I pick Rangel." And, although she may be casting her vote for Rangel, Martinez was critical of him.

“I’d like for him [Rangel] to pay more attention to the Latinos. We’re a growing community and we deserve a little more attention,” she said, after acknowledging that she had rarely, if ever, seen the congressman in the heavily Latino parts of the district.

On Friday, an upbeat Espaillat greeted would-be voters at a subway stop at 110^th Street and Lexington Avenue, while his campaign team papered the area with brochures in an effort to drum up more support. An old school bus, plastered with Espaillat campaign materials, had been converted into a campaign platform — the back was cut off — and drove around the neighborhood playing the iconic “New York, New York” sung by Frank Sinatra.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who endorsed Espaillat in April, joined him.

“We will prevail,” Espaillat said when asked about the polls. “We’ve touched 20,000 doors that have said 'Yes to Espaillat,' and I’m very confident.”

His team also sent 400 volunteers into the streets on Saturday to shore up last minute votes.

It will all come down to voter turnout, which is likely to be low given it is a mid-term election. With Espaillat behind in the polls, Rangel could potentially come out on top. But his greatest asset — his years of experience — could also be his downfall.

“I believe Rangel has been there for many years, and he has to give this opportunity to new blood,” said Aristy. “This is not a dictatorship, this is a democracy.”