Last night, embattled longtime House member Rep. Charles Rangel won the Democratic primary for the 15th Congressional seat in Harlem. He had 50% of the vote; the next closest challenger was Adam Clayton Powell IV, who had about 24%. The 80-year-old told his supporters, "I don’t know how this will be misconstrued by the press. But no matter what they say, I go back to Washington a stronger man than I have ever been."
Still, the Daily News reports that Rangel's team had been hoping the 20-term Congressman would win 60% of the vote, to show President Obama and other Democrats that he's still a powerfully popular figure. Still, Rangel also said, "In the time we are at in our history, President Obama needs people like me more than ever. I’ll go back to tell the president, ‘You don’t need those Republicans, and there are a lot of Democrats who got elected, but they vote Republican.'" (Obama notably suggested that Rangel end his career with dignity.)
Rangel will likely face his House ethics trial after the general election.
