Charlie Rangel in 1970. (Photo: Facebook)
Congressman Charlie Rangel, an octogenerian who is subject to widespread speculation of retirement rumors both before and after his successful reelection bid earlier this year, isn’t ready to start waving the white flag for his 2014 reelection campaign just yet.
“But, as you know, the fight isn’t over,” he wrote in a fundraising email to supporters earlier this afternoon. “And if I’m going to keep it up, I’ll need your continued support. Can you pitch in $5, $10, $25 or more today? Even as little as $3 can make a big difference!”
The email, which mostly focused on thanking recipients for their support during his June 26th primary election, added, “We’ve done some incredible things over the last four decades, but there’s still so much to do. I hope you’ll keep fighting by my side.”
It should be noted that the email isn’t a strong signal of the incumbent’s intentions, as sending an online fundraising solicitation takes almost no effort and has no downside. Congressman Ed Towns, for example, continued raising money for his reelection campaign throughout most of this year even though he eventually announced his retirement.
In Mr. Rangel’s last race, he narrowly defeated State Senator Adriano Espaillat by about 1,000 votes, a margin that makes the senator a strong candidate again for the seat in 2014. Assemblyman Keith Wright, a close ally of Mr. Rangel’s, is also thought to be interested in the seat but would only run in Mr. Rangel’s absence. An inevitable plethora of other congressional hopefuls are sure to enter the race as well.
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