Striking an ethnically inclusive tone, Adriano Espaillat, a Dominican-American state senator, said Thursday that he would challenge Charles B. Rangel. (Photo: Anthony Lanzilote | NY Times)
Adriano Espaillat, the Dominican-born state senator from Upper Manhattan who nearly deposed Representative Charles B. Rangel in 2012, said on Thursday that he would challenge Mr. Rangel, the 22-term Harlem Democrat, again in the primary in June.
Mr. Espaillat’s near miss two years ago, by fewer than 1,100 votes and 3 percentage points, pointed up the tectonic changes to Mr. Rangel’s district over time: from being the center of African-American political power to having a predominantly Latino constituency, with large Dominican and Puerto Rican populations as well as a significant number of white residents.
“We need a champion in Washington who will be able to bring this whole district together,” Mr. Espaillat said at a campaign kickoff in the United Palace Theater in Washington Heights — though the date chosen for the rally, supporters noted pointedly, was Dominican Independence Day.
Mr. Espaillat, 59, who is seeking to become the first Dominican-born member of the House, clearly profited from the district’s ethnic shift, crushing Mr. Rangel in their first contest in the heavily Dominican areas of Washington Heights and Inwood.
Read more: Rangel Will Face Rematch of Tough 2012 Primary – NYTimes.com.
Related: Op-Led: The Winds of Change are blowing through Uptown!
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