Rangel celebrates expected victory

Rep. Charles Rangel clinched the Democratic nomination for the 15th Congressional District seat Tuesday night in a widely expected but still climactic victory for the popular incumbent, bringing an end to one of the most difficult electoral races of his career.

With 59 percent of votes counted shortly before midnight, Rangel had won 53 percent—more than double the 25 percent total for Adam Clayton Powell IV, who was considered Rangel’s most serious challenger.

This wide margin is significant for Rangel, who has been embroiled for months in an ethics controversy that seemed at times to be on the verge of derailing his career. He was charged in July with 13 alleged violations of House ethics rules, and his four mostly little-known challengers—Powell, Joyce Johnson, Jonathan Tasini, and Vince Morgan—seized what they saw as a ripe opportunity to supplant the incumbent. The five-way race posed the most serious challenge for Rangel in his 40-year congressional career.

But as crowded as this race was, most pundits said Rangel’s challengers never stood a true chance of defeating him. He’s represented New York’s 15th Congressional District since 1971, and in the process, he has established deep ties with his constituents. By virtue of his seniority and ranking positions on various House committees, he’s been able to bring back much needed benefits from Washington—something his challengers, as would-be freshmen representatives, would not have been able to do.

And at his election party on Tuesday night, the scores of politicians who came to support him reiterated just that: Rangel is an unbeatable politician whose work on behalf of his district has been unparalleled.

“The people here have good memories—they remember everything Charlie’s done,” former New York City Mayor David Dinkins told Spectator. “They won’t forget, and there’s no surprise that they’re making that clear tonight.”

Indeed, Rangel and his campaign team made no room for surprises tonight—they virtually assumed that he would win, well before any poll numbers had been released. In an email from his campaign hours before the party, they termed the event an “election celebration.” Likewise, at the door of the swanky Uptown Grand restaurant in West Harlem, where the party was held, there was a sign-in sheet for Rangel’s “celebration.” There was no mistaking that this was a night of festivities. Red, white, and blue balloons decorated the room, images of a smiling Rangel were plastered on the walls, and invitees munched on hors d’oeuvres while drinking wine and champagne and singing and dancing to Aretha Franklin tunes on the dance floor.

But if there was one place in the room where the action was centered, it was in front of a large projector screen. A crowd gathered there to watch the voting returns, chanting and shouting as data showed Rangel beating Powell in nearly every precinct.

“The public must be geniuses because they read between the lines, they read between the ink, and they re-elected Congressman Charles Rangel,” Gov. David Paterson said to a crowd of over 100 people.

Paterson’s message was echoed by scores of speakers throughout the night, from politicians who represented Harlem at the height of black politics to a newer crop seen by many as the future of Harlem.

“We knew that voters in this district know of all the wonderful things Charlie has done over the years and what he’ll continue to do,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said.

Partying alongside these big-name politicians were dozens of organization leaders and local residents, many of whom said they had known Rangel for years, establishing a rapport with him as they said he worked tirelessly for them.

“He’s worked with the 365,000 members of our union, and his goal for us has always been open-ended,” said Henry Singleton, an organizer for the local 1199SEIU union, which represents health care workers.

And though shifting demographics in his district have posed a challenge for Rangel, some said he parlayed these changes to the district’s advantage.

“This isn’t a black district. This is a multi-racial district, and what he’s done here is he’s made everyone prosper,” Hazel Dukes, head of the New York NAACP, said.

Despite Tuesday’s victory and the outpouring of support from fellow politicians, Rangel still has a tough road ahead. He faces a public trial before the House Ethics Committee later this month, at which his congressional colleagues will decide what type of punishment to hand down. This could range from a formal admonishment to expulsion from Congress. A subcommittee investigating Rangel’s alleged misconduct recently recommended that he be admonished—a punishment amounting to no more than a slap on the wrist. Still, the public trial will be embarrassing to his career, experts predict.

And some said that while Rangel may have won tonight, his congressional career is winding down--not because of a potentially-bruising ethics battle, but because of his age.

“So many of us are proud that he was re-elected, even though we know he only has one or two terms left,” said Thomas Lopez-Pierre, one of the owners of Uptown Grand. “We need to get someone young in there, someone who can stay in there 30 years and build seniority.”

But for the time being, these setbacks are inconsequential, Rangel said while making his victory speech to the crowd,
“I don’t know how this will be misinterpreted but I want you to know that no matter what they say, I’ll go back to Washington stronger than I’ve ever been.”

kim.kirschenbaum@columbiaspectator.com