Adriano Espaillat announced Thursday that he will seek re-election to his Manhattan state Senate seat after conceding defeat to Rep. Charles Rangel in the hard-fought Democratic primary for Congress.
But Espaillat, who for the second time in two years lost to Rangel by less than 2,000 votes, will now face a spirited challenge for his Albany position.
Former City Councilman Robert Jackson, who is from the same Washington Heights neighborhood as Espaillat, declared he would be running in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary, even if that meant taking on Espaillat.
Sources close to Rangel said Jackson has a good chance to secure the backing of the Harlem congressman.
“Today, I am announcing my re-election campaign for the New York Senate from where I will continue to work to find new ways to bring jobs, affordable housing and immigration reform to our community, so that middle and working class families can thrive here,” Espaillat, 59, said in a statement.
“Even though I will not be representing the 13th District in Congress, I will continue to fight for opportunity for all.”
With Rangel retiring in two years, Espaillat is still considered the front-runner to succeed him — especially if he can bounce back and win re-election to his Senate seat.
But Jackson said he’s in the race to the end and is ready to use Rangel’s attack lines to topple Espaillat again.
Jackson pointed to Espaillat’s vote to repeal the commuter tax in 1999 — which has deprived the city of billions of dollars in revenues — as one major reason he should get the boot.
“I think voters will know that he doesn’t want to be our state senator,” Jackson said. “His record has proven that. If you want to be a state senator, then you should be there taking care of the business of our district.”
He also said Espaillat had “the second-worst attendance record in the entire Senate, and the person that has the worst was carted off in handcuffs.”
“If he doesn’t want to be the next senator, I do. If he wants to run for Congress, then let him run in two years and let him either win or lose based on the two-year fight for that seat.”
Jackson served as chairman of the Council Education Committee and was a plaintiff in the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity case that ordered the state to more equitably fund city schools.
“My record speaks for itself. My record as a fighter up here in District Six with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity where it started for all New York City schoolchildren. My record as a school board president fighting. My record as a member of the city council. My record as a community leader, as the president of the tenants association,” said Jackson.
“I’m in it to win it. My name’s Action Jackson.”