If Republicans Retain House, Rangel May Step Down Midway
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The dean of New York’s congressional delegation, Rep. Charles Rangel, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, is refusing to say whether he would serve a full term if Democrats fail to retake the House in the mid-term elections this November.
“I think that would be left up to my community and my political advisers in terms of who would succeed me and what’s the best way to have a transition,” Mr. Rangel, who represents Harlem, told The New York Sun when asked if he would serve a full term in a Republican-led House. “You have to remember, my predecessor served 26 years, and I’ve served for 36 years, and so we have to be very careful how the transition takes place,” he added.
An aide to Mr. Rangel, who asked not to be named, said the congressman has not decided whether to serve his full term. Should he not, a special election would be called, an election lawyer in Manhattan said.
Mr. Rangel said he would take it personally if the Democrats failed to win the 15 seats they need to regain the majority from the Republicans for the first time since 1994.
“I really don’t think I could be effective under two more years of Bush and a Republican House,” he said.
Political pundits have said that because of issues like the ongoing war in Iraq, the president’s low approval rating, and opinion polls showing that voters feel the country is heading in the wrong direction, this is the Democratic Party’s best chance in years to win the House. If that happens, members of Congress such as Mr. Rangel would become leaders of the committees on which they have seniority.
The senior editor of the Cook Report, which tracks congressional races, said Democrats have little to worry about. “We are less than 100 days away from the elections, and the equivalent of a category four or five political storm is on its way,” Amy Walter said.
Mr. Rangel sought to downplay the notion that his talk of retirement implied his party would not retake the House. “Hey, hey, hey, just because I’m helping you guys write the obituary doesn’t mean I’m thinking about dying.”
Other potential candidates said they would not consider running if Mr. Rangel was a candidate.
“As long as Charlie is there, I fully support him, “C.Virginia Fields, the former president of Manhattan and a 2005 mayoral candidate, said. “If there becomes a vacancy, I am open to looking at that seat.”
