Vince Morgan, a former staffer for Congressman Charlie Rangel and a candidate against Charlie Rangel this year, had almost nothing but kind words for his former boss in a recent interview with The Perez Notes.
“Most recently I saw our esteemed Congressman, Rangel, who’s one of my fraternity brothers … at a fraternity event. … The man has got a lot of talent. He is one of the best that there ever was, don’t get me wrong,” Mr. Morgan said when asked whether he and Mr. Rangel have discussed their opposing campaigns.
“He knows how to play the game better than anybody else. And he’s certainly somebody who is going to be gracious and wonderful to people who’ve actually worked for him.”
Mr. Morgan further explained how his time on Mr. Rangel’s staff actually motivated him into seeking the office himself.
“That three and a half years was really the catalyst in me ultimately deciding I could run for office because I had a passion for public service, and that passion was forged in his office,” he continued. “Do I think I could do it better? Yeah!”
He then made an interesting metaphor regarding his campaign and the veteran congressman’s reelection bid.
“We’re like milk. We all have an expiration date, and Mr. Rangel is past that expiration date on the milk,” Mr. Morgan contended. “We need some fresh milk. I’m that fresh cup of milk that hopefully is going to help nourish this community and take it into the future.”
However, many other candidates are eyeing possibly being that fresh cup of milk as well, and Mr. Morgan is unlikely to have the field entirely to himself.
The New York Times reported Clyde Williams, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton who’s been raising large amounts of money, will probably run for the seat. Assemblyman Keith Wright and several other Uptown officials, including former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, are only looking at running if Mr. Rangel retires and leave it vacant. State Senator Adriano Espaillat is also considering a campaign for Congress if there’s a new majority Latino-district in Northern Manhattan, but he’s also not thought to be interested in a head-to-head battle with Mr. Rangel.
Regardless of the candidates, Mr. Rangel’s electoral future could be most strongly impacted by redistricting. None of the candidates potentially running for the seat have a clear conception of what the district’s boundaries and demographics will even look like on June 26th when voters head to the polls.
