Old lion still has a roar – & sharp claws

For more than 40 years, Charles Rangel has been known across the nation as the powerful and irascible congressman from Harlem — the Korean War hero who never stopped fighting for civil rights and the underdog, and who did so by mixing abrasive certainty with a charming wit. But in this, his last major political race, no one knew better than Rangel how much Harlem, long the mecca of black America, had changed.

The past decade saw an influx of middle-class whites into Harlem’s restored brownstones and luxury condos, of low-income Dominican and Mexican immigrants into its dwindling stock of rent-stabilized apartments. Meanwhile, many African-Americans were forced to move out or retired and headed back South.

Yet even as the world he knew seemed to slip away, Rangel, 84, a master of resourcefulness, managed to produce one more virtuoso performance.

His district, after all, had been redrawn in 2012, and now stretches far beyond Harlem. It had become more diverse in race and income — a transformation that reflects the evolution of the Democratic Party in America’s cities.

Increasingly, Rangel’s fate was in the hands of people like Jose Diaz, a livery cab taxi driver from the Bronx.

“It’s time for change, for new leadership,” Diaz said Tuesday morning as he stepped out of the voting booth at Public School 86 near the Kingsbridge Armory. He left little doubt he had voted for state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Rangel’s main challenger, and, like Diaz, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic.

Two years ago, despite being the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, Rangel only narrowly defeated Espaillat in the Democratic primary. The contest was marred by major problems in the vote tallying and allegations by Latino leaders of voter suppression.

At the time, Rangel was recovering from illness and had barely been able to campaign. His reputation was tarnished after the House of Representatives censured him for neglecting to pay taxes on rental property in the Dominican Republic.

Still, he enjoyed the support of virtually the entire Democratic Party establishment, including a dozen or so Puerto Rican elected officials in the East Harlem and Bronx portions of his congressional district.

This time around, Rangel rebounded physically. He displayed amazing vitality, campaigned feverishly for votes and blasted Espaillat’s record at every opportunity.

“He was the lion that roared again, disproving all those who said he was past his prime,” state Sen. Bill Perkins, a Rangel backer, said.

But a new generation of progressive Democrats had come to office following the Bloomberg era. Many of them had backed Rangel two years ago but switched to Espaillat, including city Controller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Even Mayor de Blasio chose to stay on the sidelines.

Still, the loyal support provided by major labor unions like 1199/SEIU and District Council 37, the city workers’ union, offered Rangel a huge counterweight to the defections of the politicians.

In the end, Rangel, a largerthan-life figure in this town for so many years, proved to his critics, including yours truly, that he was not ready to go.

Before any media outlets had called the race, and with Espaillat not yet conceding, Rangel took center stage.

In a drawn-out victory speech that seemed almost bizarre at times, he relished his lead in the vote count, while continuing to disparage Espaillat.

“None of us are gloating about this election,” Rangel said. “I should congratulate Adriano Espaillat for doing the best with what he had to work with.”

With most of the vote counted, one of the most powerful Democrats in the House had survived yet another fierce challenge.

Harlem had returned Rangel to Washington.