WINNER AND STILL CHAMP: Rep. Charles Rangel exults in his Democratic-primary victory celebration in Harlem last night. He’s now a shoo-in to win a 22nd term in November. (Byron Smith)
He’s the oldest comeback kid ever.
Charles Rangel last night all but won his 22nd term in Congress, handily beating Democratic rival Adriano Espaillat in the toughest primary fight of his four-decade career.
The raspy-voiced politician, scarred by a congressional censure of his ethical lapses, still managed to take home 45 percent of the vote with 84 percent of precincts reporting.
Espaillat had 39 percent of the vote, former Bill Clinton aide Clyde Williams earned 10 percent, businesswoman Joyce Johnson took 3 percent, and former Rangel intern Craig Schley got 1 percent.
Rangel’s primary win in the heavily Democratic 13th District all but ensures his return to Congress come Election Day in November.
A beaming Rangel told reporters that his heart was “beating a little fast.”
“If they didn’t think in the past 42 years that I wasn’t the best qualified, I promise them that in the next two years they’ll have no questions,” said Rangel.
The decorated Army vet — fond of saying he hasn’t had a bad day since he survived a vicious Korean war battle — last night downplayed the serious struggles he faced in the race, arguably the hardest since he unseated Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in 1970.
“They’re all tough [races],” he said.
But Rangel’s victory was never entirely certain, especially since it was the first time that he faced voters since a congressional censure in 2010 for ethics violations, including failing to pay taxes.
Rangel also had to deal with a heavily redrawn district, which went from his traditional African-American base to a heavily Latino district that includes Washington Heights and parts of The Bronx.
Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Grace Meng won the 6th Congressional District in eastern and central Queens.