Charlie Rangel Holds On to Lead

Embattled 22-term Harlem Representative Charles Rangel is leading his primary opponent 47.4 percent to 43.6 percent with 100 percent of precincts reporting. Rangel faced State Senator Adriano Espaillat in a tough, bruising rematch that played out on ethnic and generational lines. Rangel leads by more than 1,800 votes, and now the election hinges on absentee ballots. A total of 2,834 absentee ballots were given out, according to the New York City Board of Election, and they must be received by the board no later than next Tuesday. Speaking at 11:20 p.m on Tuesday, Rangel told the audience, “We don’t need a whole lot of numbers to be able to tell you how good we feel, how proud we feel, that we were able to bring together people and cultures from all over the district.” In 2012, Espaillat lost by less than 1,100 votes and refused to concede for two weeks.