Rep. Charles Rangel defies demographics, censure to win tough primary
Rep. Charles Rangel, an icon in Harlem, called on more than 40 years of a storied history – including bringing home the bacon as former chairman of a powerful House committee – to win a Democratic primary that all but assures victory in November.
Rep. Charles Rangel (D) of New York and his wife, Alma, leave a polling station after voting in the Democratic primary on Tuesday in New York.
Mark Lennihan/AP
New York
Rep. Charles Rangel’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York's 13th Congressional District shows that – despite demographic changes in his district, ethics woes, and a censure vote by his House colleagues – he’s still popular enough to win the toughest fight of his 42-year career in Congress.
Tuesday's primary victory essentially counts as the election in one of the most Democratic-leaning districts in the nation.
“MY district,” is how Mr. Rangel refers to it.
And so it continues to be, for at least a 22nd term. The official statement that he released after his victory sounded a bit humbler.
"Words cannot describe my overwhelming gratitude to the voters of the 13th Congressional District of our great State for believing in me. I welcome this special privilege to serve the people of the Bronx and those in Upper Manhattan whom I have had the honor to represent in Congress in the past. I will not let them down.”
According to Douglas Muzzio, a professor at Baruch College and a political commentator, Rangel’s storied history was just too much for his opponents to overcome.
