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Democrat vs. Democrat: five tough primaries that pit left against itself

Republicans have become famous for eating their own in primaries. The Democrats? Not so much. But there are still a handful of interesting Democrat vs. Democrat races this cycle. Here’s a list:

2. New York: Adriano Espaillat vs. Charles Rangel

Pearl Gabell/AP
State Sen. Adriano Espaillat and Rep. Charles Rangel participate in a debate at Lehman College in the Bronx on June 11 during the Democratic primary for the 13th Congressional District in New York.

Update: On June 24, as he did in 2012, Congressman Rangel of New York narrowly beat state Senator Espaillat to win renomination. The margin of victory was 47.4 percent to 43.6 percent. In November, no Republican is running against Rangel, so he’s a lock to win a 23rd term in Congress.  

Here’s the background: Rangel has been in the House since 1971, and has won renomination easily every two years – until 2012. Then, Espaillat came within about 1,000 votes of defeating Rangel in the primary.

In 2010, Rangel got into ethics trouble, leading to his censure and the end of his reign as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. In that year’s primary, he faced six other candidates and won with 51 percent of the vote.

This year, age and race came to the fore. Rangel, in his 80s, is black (and part Puerto Rican); Espaillat, a generation younger, is Hispanic (born in the Dominican Republic). Redistricting in 2011 cut into the Harlem-centered district’s African American base and added more Hispanics, adding to Rangel's challenge. After Rangel retires, the district is likely to elect a Hispanic to Congress. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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