2012 NY-13th CD Dem Primary

The 2012 NY-13th Congressional Democratic primary, a racial challenge to 21 Term incumbent, the African American Titan Charlie Rangel by Dominican State Senator Adriano Espaillat returned a narrow renomination for Rangel in a district that was made 10% More Latino in the judicial redistricting process that NY went through in 2012.

With the new districts providing the impetus for Espaillat—who was flirting with a challenge to Rangel for months—to outright challenge the Congressional Black Caucus founder the fact that Hillary Clinton had carried this district over BarackObama by 7% provided ample reason to expect the seat to be competitive.

Acrimonious due to a mixture of Espaillat's calls for change from the over 80 year old Rangel, and Rangel's indignation over Espaillat taking his endorsement in seeking a 2010 promotion to state Senate and 'breaking a promise not ro run against Rengel'—the primary had no lost love between the former and (post 2016) future allies

Further, despite Rangel's longtime incumbency and political organizing prowess, two more factors aided Rangel in suffering a close race; misusing a rent-stabilized apartment as a campaign office and a censure by the whole house due to 11 ethics violations, including failure to pay taxes, improper solicitation of donations & failure to accurately report personal income

All these factors combined to force Rangel into a close race, but he had an ace up his sleeve: being Half Puerto Rican.

While Rangel himself would be the first person to heavily downplay this fact publically, the fact he was half Puerto Rican—and the relationships that this identity helped forge—were pivotal in him securing Puerto Rican support in and around the district,

This support included Puerto Rican Titans such as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr & Jose Serrano, as well as AD-68 (El Barrio) Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez, then El Barrio Council Speaker Melissa Mark viverito (CCD 8), and even out of state pols, such as Illinois' Luis Guttierez

On the Puerto Rican front, Rangel was further aided by the fact that many Puerto Ricans in the district viewed the Dominican population with suspicion, something that led to Rangel's main 2010 opponent—State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, the son of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. whom Rangel had defeated in his first election to congress in 1970—endorsing Rangel over Sen. Espaillat.

This, combined with Rangel's uniform African American support from Harlem, allowed him to form a winning coalition. One that withstood his ethics scandals and being forced off the Campaign Trail due to a health scare that left him with an IV Drip, and a walker.

In winning, Rangel kept Harlem's Historically African American, though now Hispanic VRA, congressional District in the hands of an African American for the penultimate cycle—it would take until his 2016 Retirement for the group to lose it to Adriano Espaillat, who challenged, and lost to Rangel again in 2014.

NYT Colours

Sources:

2010

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/nyregion/15rangel.html

2014

2016

2025

https://www.cityandstateny.com/personality/2025/06/charles-rangel-his-own-words/405714/