It would be with great regret that Espaillat challenges Charlie Rangel
Briefing: Espaillat. Azi Paybarah via flickr
5:58 pm Mar. 12, 2012
News that State Senator Adriano Espaillat opened a congressional exploratory committee has led to speculation that he may try to unseat 81-year-old Charlie Rangel of Harlem.
(Espaillat's Senate district is within Rangel's congressional district in Manhattan.)
But if that is Espaillat's design, it doesn't square with what was said when Espaillat and others spoke about the political landscape on Saturday at a meeting convened by Al Sharpton. The message there from Espaillat and others was that they wanted to preserve Rangel's seat for an African-American successor and also create a new congressional seat to represent the growing Latino population.
Espaillat seemed to want to make it clear he'd regard a challenge to Rangel by a Latino official as a bad thing, saying congressional lines drawn by a federally appointed redistricting master "increased the Latino population in Charlie Rangels' existing district to 55 percent. Basically, setting the groundwork for 20 years of nuclear political war."
And he said, "As much as we want to embrace that district, because it is a majority-Latino district, we know that we cannot move forward at the expense of a community that has been traditionally excluded itself, the African-American community."
And "we cannot gain a majority while embracing regression for the African-American community in Harlem."
Some Links:
2012
"Will Bloomberg Back Obama?" [Taegan Goodard]
The opening of an exploratory committee raises the possibility of another challenger to Charlie Rangel. [Andrew Grossman]
Espaillat warned that the not creating a Latino congressional seat next to Rangel's could create a "nuclear political war" uptown. [Jill Colvin]
"Espaillat may be hoping whoever draws the final map changes his or her mind." [Colin Campbell]
Super PACs
An Iowa State poli-sci professor blames McCain-Feingold. [Steffen Schmidt]
Flashback: A D.N.C. finance chair agrees, but a noted Democratic bundler thinks that's crazy. [Capital]
Redistricting
Gianaris still thinks Cuomo should veto. [WNYC]
"New York Civic today joins Mayor Koch in once again calling for Governor Cuomo to honor his pledge to veto the Legislature’s gerrymandered lines," wrote Henry Stern in an email. [No link]
Cuomo said the new legislative lines show "progress." [Jimmy Vielkind]
The public is clueless about the legislature's plans. [Thomas Kaplan]
Tier 6
After a seven-figure ad buy opposing Cuomo's plan, there's a seven-figure ad buy supporting Cuomo's plan. [Nick Reisman]
"Cuomo is putting his popularity and his early record on the line as never before." [Michael Gormley]
Cuomo said he'll force legislators to choose between passing a new pension tier or shutting down the government. [Joseph Spector]
The choice may no longer be theoretical. [Bloomberg]
NYPD Surveillance
Bloomberg's spokesman mocks the A.P.'s reporting, which gets included in an explainer article about the A.P.'s ongoing series. [Matt Apuzzo]
Albany
The comptroller said the state senator who released a scathing audit of the comptroller's office may have done it to distract from his own problems. [James Odato]
Savino picks a fight with Snooki. [Ken Lovett]
Quote
"I did not kiss President Obama."--Michael Bloomberg. [New York CBS]
Images
Dolan, in Albany. [New York Now]
With Adrien Brody, Kim Cattrall and Michael Stipe. [Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer]
A pro-Cuomo group responds to an anti-Cuomo group. [Let's Fix Albany]
