Espaillat giving his concession speech to a crowd of reporters.

"I'm here to acknowledge that we came short two percent, I want to congratulate Congressman Charles B. Rangel for his victory and tell him that I look forward to working with him as we move forward," State Senator Adriano Espaillat announced at a sunny press conference in Inwood this afternoon.

"Back in 1996 when I first got into politics, I defeated a 16-year incumbent and I ran against the political establishment," he continued. "I did so again this year, everyone from Nancy Pelosi on down supported the incumbent, so I'm very proud to have run a very strong race."

The concession marks the end of a contentious and drama-filled sequence of events after Election Day in Congressman Rangel's reelection bid. Although Mr. Espaillat initially conceded when the Board of Elections reported a massive lead for Mr. Rangel, he later reengaged the race when additional results showed him only 800 or so votes behind.

Additionally, Mr. Espaillat made clear that he was dropping his lawsuit challenging the results, although he noted groups like Latino Justice may be pursuing incidents of voter suppression on their own. At today's press conference, he said he simply did not have the funds to continue a legal effort that wouldn't change who the ultimate victor would be.

"My attorneys have advised me that even though there are close to 2,000 invalid affidavit ballots, the math just doesn't work, that in fact it is virtually impossible for the results to be different," he explained.

The concession hardly comes as a surprise, as multiple outlets had already reported that it would occur. But Mr. Espaillat did contradict some of those reports by declaring that he had not yet decided if he would seek reelection to the State Senate this year.  During his congressional campaign he repeatedly vowed he was not seeking reelection "at this time," and Mr. Espaillat claimed to have only started looking at such a move after the campaign was over. The filing deadline is in a few days, so he'll need to decide his future plans soon, however.

"I have authorized some of the district leaders in the district to begin circulating petitions after the 26th, after Election Day," he said. "I promise you that in 48 hours, I will have that answer."

Outside of his level of support, Mr. Espaillat said his election could also serve as a jumping off point to reform the Board of Elections, an agency widely concerned to be an ineffective, patronage-based system. For example, just today, two weeks after Election Day, they found new votes from Mr. Espaillat's election.

"I failed to mention that today the Board of Elections found another 28 votes that we had not accounted for," the state senator chimed in as he was taking questions after his speech. "I think that this election should be an example for why there should be a vigorous debate about reforming the electoral process in New York State, primarily the Board of Elections."

Clyde Williams (photo: clyde2012.com)

"I'm talking about real jobs that are available today," Clyde Williams said as we talked over brunch in Harlem this morning (he wanted otmeal but settled for the scrambled egg plate). "Studies show that if all the jobs available were filled, the unemployment rate would be under 7%"

Mr. Williams was explaining his next policy push in his congressional campaign as he works to unseat veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel. He argued that the federal government should be doing much more to retrain workers for targeted industries and that Mr. Rangel, currently in office, has not been delivering.

Previously Mr. Williams worked for President Bill Clinton and the national Democratic party, and he leaned hard on his connections in Washington D.C. to explain why he can accomplish his agenda, even if he can't get legislation through a Republican-controlled House.

"First thing is you don't need to pass legislation to get money to actually do the job training. There's millions of dollars sitting at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone right now, if you get elected, to actually ... do these things," he contended. "The other thing is money sitting at the labor department to do the kind of job training we're talking about."

Another prominent candidate in the race is State Senator Adriano Espaillat, but Mr. Williams stressed that he would be able to accomplish things Mr. Espaillat couldn't.

"So the difference between me and somebody like Espaillat is I've actually worked in D.C., I worked in a government agency," he said. "I know that there's money to be had to do the things that are necessary. When I go to D.C. from Day One I'll be able to hit the ground running."

His economic platform has additional planks, including a big focus on using economic development resources to bring tourism to the Uptown portions of the district.

"Tourism is a huge economic engine in Northern Manhattan," he explained. "Think about this, they come up here and they stay 3 or 4 hours, 5 max. We need to build hotels in this community where they spend four or five days ... so that we can then build all of the other ancillary things that go along with that. Those will create thousands of jobs."

Mr. Williams lamented that the race so far, as discussed in the media, has been centered on endorsements of elected officials for Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Rangel rather than substantive policy proposals.

"A lot of it is people get caught up in personalities," he answered when we asked why this has been the case. "At some level, people are more interested at talking about the black/brown dynamic in reference to the race. The thing is I believe in this, Latinos and African-Americans have much more in common than they do different."

Illustration by, Dale Stephanos

Congressman Charlie Rangel didn’t want to discuss who will succeed him in the House of Representatives.

“Is this an obituary?” he asked during a sometimes combative phone interview on Monday afternoon, which the longtime lawmaker described as a “rough one.”

“I’m 81-years-old, you want me to discuss what happens in three years? At the end of this year plus two. Would that make sense at all?” he asked.

Rather than deciding whom to anoint as heir, the outspokenly liberal octogenarian is facing what could be the closest campaign of his more than forty year career, while simultaneously coping with fading health and the waning power of the political empire he built in Harlem.

As four challengers line up to run against him, Mr. Rangel, who normally relishes being the public face of his Harlem home, spent much of the time between February and April dealing with a back injury that was shrouded in secrecy. Mr. Rangel’s staff initially said he incurred the injury “lifting boxes.” His longtime ally, Councilwoman Inez Dickens later said he hurt himself moving a couch with his wife.

During his two month absence, the congressman made multiple trips to the hospital, where he stayed under an assumed name, and missed over 100 votes in the House of Representatives. He has yet to return to Washington.

Mr. Rangel eventually re-emerged for an April 10 press conference, at which he said he was suffering from a spinal infection.

“At a certain age, all of us have the cartridge that separates the spinal disc and they wear out,” Mr. Rangel told the assembled media.

“One of the viruses found out it was vulnerable and bang! It went in there.”

The shifting explanations for his health issues and his disappearance from the public eye caused rumors about Mr. Rangel’s health to run rampant in political circles. (Since then, Mr. Rangel sat down for a pair of television interviews where he seemed to be doing much better.)

In his talk with The Politicker, Mr. Rangel even broke into song when we asked about his well-being.

“Oh, look at me now,” he warbled, before dismissing questions about his health and comparing the situation to conspiracies surrounding the President’s birth certificate.

“You want something from the hospital? What do you want where I was born? I mean what is this, an Obama thing?” he asked. “I’m at the top of my game.”

Mr. Rangel, a proud man known for wearing immaculate, sharp suits over dress shirts with monogrammed French cuffs, said he preferred to deal with his health problems privately.

“I don’t want people checking my ass to see whether my spine is in order,” he said.

But his health isn’t the only question mark regarding Mr. Rangel’s future. The four challengers in next month’s Democratic primary—particularly State Senator Adriano Espaillat and Clyde Williams, a former political director of the Democratic National Committee—are widely thought to be the toughest opposition he has faced since the 1970’s.

In addition to Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Williams, Craig Schley, a former model and intern of Mr. Rangel’s, and a businesswoman named Joyce Johnson are in the race.

They all say Upper Manhattan needs new leadership.

“People in the district want to see a change. The congressman has been there since 1970, the year before that, man walked on the Moon, the Mets won their first championship and Joe Namath was throwing touchdown passes,” Mr. Espaillat said in a phone interview. “I think that I can bring a bold and fresh, new voice to Congress that can articulate the issues that are relevant right now that weren’t relevant in 1970.”

One of the reasons opponents say the district needs new representation is that the shape and composition of the seat has transformed since the congressman took office.

In his 2007 autobiography, Mr. Rangel said he received his district as a birthday present in 1970 from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, with whom he enjoyed a “special relationship” as a member of the State Assembly.

Mr. Rangel held on to his tailormade seat in Harlem, which he calls “the capital of black America,” for the next four decades.

Mr. Rangel is very well-liked in his home turf. Bill Thompson, who nearly defeated Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 mayoral election, remembers the experience of campaigning in Harlem alongside Mr. Rangel as “special.”

“People come from one side of the street or the other just to say, ‘Hello.’ And that’s Charlie,” Mr. Thompson said. “People just respond to Charlie.”

As Mr. Rangel put it in his memoir, “The bottom line is that I’m the only New York congressman whose district has always remained entirely on the island of Manhattan. God is good.”

Over the past twenty years, the Hispanic population in the district has increased by nine percent and the African American population dropped by ten. To deal with the demographic shift, and ensure his reelection, Mr. Rangel’s allies tried to get a favorable district drawn for him again this year. But the once mighty political machine built by the congressman lacked the muscle to carve a perfect perch for their leader amid growing calls for redistricting reform and the evolution of their base in Harlem.

As a result, for the first time in his career, Mr. Rangel is representing areas of the Bronx and new territories in Upper Manhattan, along with his Harlem haven.

Mr. Rangel points out the Latino majority in the district is nothing new and he believes he has earned the trust of the diverse denizens.

“I work hard at my job, and so, this isn’t just longevity,” he said.

The race for Mr. Rangel’s seat is generally seen as a battle between Dominicans, who back Mr. Espaillat’s run, and Mr. Rangel’s power base in the black community. Mr. Espaillat is a product of that wave of Latino immigration that transformed Upper Manhattan, and if his campaign is successful, he would be the first member of Congress of Dominican descent. However, he believes the desire for change in the district isn’t confined to Latinos.

“The Dominican community has grown, that’s for sure, but I think that they share some of the same problems that other communities share,” he said. “This desire for change is not exclusive to the Dominican community.”

Mr. Williams, for his part, came to Harlem amid a second wave of change that redefined the district. He arrived in 2001, to work as an aide to former President Bill Clinton, whose choice to open an office uptown was widely seen as the beginning of a new era of gentrification

in the neighborhood. Rather than simply a contest between Dominicans and African Americans, he said, the race for Mr. Rangel’s seat is about many groups who have changed the look of Upper Manhattan.

“Over the last few years, this community’s become much more diverse and, not just from a racial standpoint, it’s become much more diverse from an economic standpoint,” Mr. Williams said. “This has been a Latino district for a while, … but you’ve had a huge influx of whites that have moved into the congressional district, Asians that have moved into the congressional district.”

According to Mr. Williams, these new residents created a need for new leadership.

“Those things make it a more complicated endeavor and I believe that you need someone who can represent all those interest groups, not just one,” he said.

Changing demographics aren’t the only obstacle to Mr. Rangel’s re-election bid. The congressman is also dealing with the fallout from his 2010 censure by the House Ethics Committee for violations including soliciting donations from lobbyists for a Center for Public Service at City College that bears his name, failing to properly disclose income and assets, using a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office and failing to pay taxes on his vacation home.

Mr. Rangel argued he was guilty of nothing more than “being overzealous in recruiting money for CCNY and sloppy bookkeeping,” and the censure was part of a strategy on the part of Republicans to regain power after the 2008 elections.

“How does The Times now put it, I’m ‘ethically challenged,’” he said. “I was one of the major targets that the Republicans were going to shoot after.”

Mr. Rangel denied his re-election bid is motivated by a desire to refurbish his legacy following the ethics flap, saying he’s in the race to help President Obama fulfill his promise of change, and to stop Republicans in Washington from enacting policies he sees as an assault on the “stuff that really made America and the middle class.

“To see all of this just going by in fast forward. And to see so few voices screaming out against it,” Mr. Rangel went on. “I will fight like hell to be able to make a contribution. To be able at least to tell my grandkids, ‘We thought we had change and I was there until the very end.’”

With his health woes and many challengers, Mr. Rangel may not get to decide whether he stays until “the end,” which brings us once again to the question of his heirs.

With Mr. Rangel at the helm, the Harlem political machine birthed a mayor (David N. Dinkins), a governor (David Paterson), and the neighborhood’s current representatives in the City Council and both Houses of the State Legislature.

But Mr. Espaillat—who had more people sign his petitions to get on the ballot than Mr. Rangel and who just about matched his fundraising totals for the last filing period—believes Mr. Rangel’s performance in this race so far shows their days of dominance are on the wane.

“We got more signatures than they did, so if there is a machine there, it’s a machine that’s stumbling a little bit,” Mr. Espaillat said. “We were neck-and-neck with the fundraising piece in the last filing.”

Mr. Rangel, sounding every bit the political lion, dismissed the idea his challengers pose a significant threat to him.

“I swear by Jesus, I forgot the fourth candidate’s name, and I’m not even kidding you,” he insisted. “I want you to talk about who is running against me, what they’ve done—and did they ever do anything without my help?”

hwalker@observer.com

Clyde Williams

Former DNC political director Clyde Williams faced two challenges to the 6,000 petition signatures he obtained to get on the ballot in the congressional race for Upper Manhattan's 13th district that he blamed on "associates" of the incumbent, Charlie Rangel. Those objections have expired and Mr. Williams said he's going to be on the ballot without issue.

"Thousands of residents who signed my petitions participated in the electoral process and now their voices will be heard. I will be on the ballot on June 26," Mr. Williams told The Politicker. "We now enter a new phase of the race and I look forward to continuing to engage voters and share ideas for the future of this community."

Last week, Mr. Williams posted a note on Facebook decrying the challenges to his petitions filed by Desiree Harris and Jerry Washington as "associates of Charlie Rangel" attempting "to block my access to the ballot." Ms. Harris and Mr. Washington also filed challenges to petitions obtained by two of the other candidates in the race, Craig Schley and Joyce Johnson.

"Some might say a petition challenge is the sincerest form of flattery. But in fact what my opponents are challenging is the right of the people to be heard – trying to silence the voices of change," Mr. Williams wrote.

Ms. Harris lives in the same apartment building as Mr. Rangel, whose campaign declined to comment on the issue last week.

Petition objections require a contact person and both Mr. Washington and Mr. Harris listed a man named Arthur Greig on their challenges. Mr. Greig was the Co-Law Chair of the New York County Democratic Party while Mr. Rangel's longtime ally, Assemblyman Herman "Denny" Farrell was chairman. He also worked a special counsel to the chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee in the late 1998. Mr. Farrell has been chair of that committee since 1994. Mr. Greig also served as counsel to another ally of Mr. Rangel's, David Paterson while Mr. Paterson was minority leader in the State Senate.

Charles Rangel,

Congressman Charlie Rangel appeared on former Governor David Paterson's show today to discuss his re-election bid and his health following two months where he was in and out of the hospital.

"I'm charged up, I'm ready to go," Mr. Rangel said when asked about his health. "I'm pretty excited about how far the president has gone with what he's got to work with."

Mr. Rangel went on to explain he finds the Republican presidential candidates "frightening" because they were able to "get as far as they've gotten" with "so little talent."

"I was a little worried about the congressman until he started attacking the Republican candidates for president, then I figured out his health was fine," joked Mr. Paterson, a longtime friend and ally of the congressman.

Mr. Rangel is being challenged by four rivals; State Senator Adriano Espaillat, former DNC head Clyde Williams, businesswoman Joyce Johnson and his ex-intern Craig Schley. The congressman is thought to be particularly vulnerable after more than four decades in power because the demographics in Harlem are shifting to become more Latino. Mr. Rangel told Mr. Paterson he didn't notice the changes as they were occurring, but the new shape of the neighborhood became clear to him over time.

"You can't feel a district that's changing around you, especially when you were born and raised in it," Mr. Rangel said. "Like anything else, the changes are so small when they occur, but after ten years, you can dramatically see the changes."

Many politicians, including Mr. Rangel's challenger, Mr. Espaillat, hoped this year's redistricting process would result in Upper Manhattan being cut to create a predominantly Latino district in Washington Heights while preserving the historically African American district in Harlem. Mr. Rangel, who has previously said he ran for re-election in 2010 because he felt he could influence the redistricting process said he fought for changes "that would not dramatically alter the boundaries of Harlem. He told Mr. Paterson he was "hurt" and "disappointed" by the end result of this year's round of redistricting.

"It's a very emotional thing to see history being made, unfolded in front of you in a way that you would not want it to happen," Mr. Rangel said.

Mr. Rangel's re-election bid was the subject of a front page story in today's New York Times. The story included a rather interesting quote from Adam Clayton Powell IV, who has a long history with the congressman. Mr. Rangel made it to the House after defeating Mr. Powell's father, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in 1970. The younger Mr. Powell went on to serve as Mr. Rangel's intern and to challenge the congressman for his seat in 2010. In the Times story, Mr. Powell had a rather colorful description of that race.

"I got my spanking two years ago; Espaillat will get his spanking now," Mr. Powell said.

Mr. Paterson asked Mr. Rangel about Mr. Powell's remark. Mr. Rangel declined to comment directly.

"I'm glad that he's not running this time," the congressman said.

In December, Mr. Powell told The Politicker he didn't want to challenge Mr. Rangel, but he left the door open for a future run in the district.

Adriano Espaillat and Charlie Rangel. (Photo: Facebook)

On Monday, the five Democrats vying to represent the 13th District submitted petitions to get on the ballot. Today, objectors filed challenges to some of those petitions and former DNC head Clyde Williams accused the incumbent, Charlie Rangel, of "trying to  silence the voices of change."

"Last night, I learned that associates of Charlie Rangel intend to try to block my access to the ballot," Mr. Williams wrote on his Facebook page. "Some might say a petition challenge is the sincerest form of flattery. But in fact what my opponents are challenging is the right of the people to be heard - trying to silence the voices of change. I will fight this challenge because I - like so many District residents - share a the desire to change our fortunes and seize our future for the better."

Approximately 900 petitions were required to get on the ballot. All five candidates in the race exceeded that amount. According to State Senator Adriano Espaillat's campaign, he is leading the pack with about 10,000 signatures. Mr. Rangel's campaign said he obtained about 8,900 signatures in the Upper Manhattan portion of the district although they claimed not to know how many signatures they obtained in the Bronx. Mr. Williams' campaign said he got "roughly 6,105" signatures. Businesswoman Joyce Johnson acquired just under 4,000 signatures according to her campaign. Craig Schley, a former intern of Mr. Rangel's, said he collected approximately 3,000 signatures.

Mr. Rangel has spent more than four decades in Congress and has the support of the Harlem political machine he helped build so, in some ways, his second place finish is surprising. However, the congressman was out of commission for much of the last two months with what he described as a virus in his spine and he was unable to actively campaign.

Today, two people, Desiree Harris and Jerry Washington, filed objections to challenge signatures obtained by Mr. Williams, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Schley. Neither Ms. Harris nor Mr. Washington are directly affiliated with any of the campaigns, but Ms. Harris lives in the same apartment building as Mr. Rangel, which may have prompted Mr. Williams' accusation the challenges came from Mr. Rangel. Mr. Rangel's spokesman, Bob Liff, declined to comment on this story.

Gustavo Rivera (Photo: NYS Senate)

Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera gave his endorsement to fellow State Senator Adriano Espaillat in his race against veteran congressman Charlie Rangel. The endorsement is significant because Mr. Rivera's home base in the Bronx is new territory for Mr. Espaillat, who currently represents Upper Manhattan and Riverdale.

"As a fellow senator, I have watched Adriano successfully fight for working families and immigrants,” Mr. Rivera said in a statement. "I am proud to endorse Adriano for Congress because he will bring the same passion and energy to Congress and deliver the change we need in Washington D.C. I look forward to campaigning for Adriano, particularly in the Bronx, to get him elected as our next Congressman."

Mr. Rivera's endorsement is also significant because he is Puerto Rican while Mr. Espaillat is of Dominican descent. In a recent interview on the Perez Notes, Mr. Rangel's campaign manager, Moises Perez, claimed Puerto Rican leaders were unanimously backing his candidate.

For his part, Mr. Espaillat said he was "proud" to have the support of Mr. Rivera, who he called "one of our brightest young leaders in New York."

"Together, we have fought in the State Legislature for jobs, housing, education, and immigrants. We can continue to make progress by bringing new, bold ideas to Congress and the change Manhattan and Bronx voters are looking for," Mr. Espaillat said.

Oscar de la Renta (Photo: Getty)

Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is endorsing Adriano Espaillat in the race for the 13th congressional district. In a statement announcing his endorsement, Mr. de la Renta, who is from the Dominican Republic, called on Democrats and Latinos in particular to back Mr. Espaillat in his quest to become the first congressman of Dominican descent.

"I am proud to endorse Adriano Espaillat for Congress and I call on all Democrats, particularly the Latino and Dominican communities, to join me in rallying behind Adriano’s historic run to change the political landscape of this country," Mr. de la Renta said. "Our communities are at a crossroads and we need leadership that can help us meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Senator Adriano Espaillat's record clearly indicates that he will bring bold, new ideas to move our communities forward. I am fully committed to add my voice to help elect Adriano to Congress."

This endorsement isn't Mr. de la Renta's first foray into politics. The designer's dresses have been favored by occupants of the White House for decades. Mr. de la Renta has also made ample contributions to Hillary Clinton, former Democratic House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee.

For his part, Mr. Espaillat said he was "humbled" to have the couturier's support.

"We are humbled and energized by the support of Oscar de la Renta, who has joined voters in Manhattan, the Bronx, and beyond, in recognizing that our communities need change," Mr. Espaillat said.

Mr. Espaillat is one of four candidates who are attempting to unseat veteran congressman Charlie Rangel in the 13th district, which includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Mr. de la Renta's fellow designers Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace have yet to weigh in on the race.

Ruben Dario Vargas (Photo: New York City Campaign Finance Board)

Mr. Espaillat is vying to be the first member of Congress of Dominican descent. Without Mr. Vargas, he is the only Latino candidate running in the 13th district, which contains a largely Dominican Latino majority. Mr. Vargas said he chose to drop out because he believes it is more important for the Dominican community to unite and "make history.

"This election is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community," Mr. Vargas said. "With the stakes so high, I think it's important for the community to unite behind a candidate who can make help us make history, and that candidate is Senator Espaillat. While I've worked hard to get myself in a position to run, I'm ready to give all of my support to the candidate who can succeed in bringing fresh leadership to Congress this year."

Mr. Vargas' departure from the race leaves five candidates standing; Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Rangel, former DNC head Clyde Williams, businesswoman Joyce Johnson and former model Craig Schley.

Adriano Espaillat (Photo: New York State Senate)

Adriano Espaillat has raised $62,055 so far in his beat to unseat veteran Congressman Charles Rangel according to his campaign committee's first quarterly report. While Mr. Espaillat's haul is hardly massive, the report only includes a few weeks of fundraising since he officially launched his campaign at the beginning of the month. Mr. Rangel also raised a similar amount for the quarter, $67,273, however he spent much of that time in and out of the hospital with what he and his staff have described as a back injury.

Though Mr. Espaillat was able to nearly match Mr. Rangel's fundraising total for the quarter, the congressman should be able to perform far better in the fundraising race now that he's out of the hospital and back on the campaign trail. As an incumbent, Mr. Rangel already had a substantial war chest and his latest contributions leave him with $226,306 on hand. Mr. Espaillat spent about $5,762 on the campaign so far and has just $56,292 on hand.

Mr. Espaillat is thought to be a particularly strong opponent for Mr. Rangel since he's vying to be the first congressman  of Dominican descent in a district with a majority Latino population, but he's not the only challenger running for the seat. Former DNC head Clyde Williams, who is also running in the district, raked in just under $120,000 this quarter and has over $200,000 on hand. There are no reports from a new committee from businesswoman Joyce Johnson, but the report for her committee from her last run for the seat in 2010 shows it raised no money this quarter and has $1048.53 on hand along with $16,236 in debts. Former model Craig Schley and community activist Ruben Dario Vargas are also in the race for Mr. Rangel's district, but there quarterly reports have yet to be made public.