Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) has an answer for critics who say he’s too old, tired and tarnished to keep representing his district: No.
In an opinion piece for the Daily News timed to coincide with the formal announcement of his candidacy on Thursday, Rangel, 83, writes that he is “fired up” about running for re-election and returning to Congress.
“I have heard the skeptics and the chattering classes wondering whether I remain committed to representing our congressional district which I have passionately served for more than 40 years,” he says.
“After reflection and speaking with constituents in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx I proudly represent, I am all the more fired up about fighting to advance the unfinished business under the most exciting presidency in my lifetime.”
Until recently, there had been some doubt about Rangel’s desire to seek a new term. For months, he had refused to declare his interest in running again, promising only that he would make a decision by Christmas.
But in recent days associates and Democratic political operatives said that Rangel had decided to campaign for re-election.
Rangel’s district is overwhemingly Democratic, but his election is no sure thing.
He is expected to face a primary fight from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, who will benefit from changing demographics in the redrawn district, which encompasses northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.
Espaillat lost to Rangel in a three-way primary in 2012.
Rangel has had an up and down relationship with President Obama, who suggested in 2010 that ethics charges against Rangel were “very troubling” and that he hoped the veteran lawmaker could end his career “with dignity.”
Nevertheless, in his op-ed Thursday, Rangel aligns himself closely with Obama, presenting himself as “one of the most outspoken defenders of the President.”
Rangel, who remains angry over his 2010 House censure for ethics violations, makes only an indirect reference to the scandal.
“I may not be a perfect human being, but I believe I am best equipped – by my experience, my knowledge of Washington, my seniority, my passion for serving the people of our district – to help the President achieve his agenda over the next two years,” Rangel writes.
The House Ethics Committee found that Rangel underpaid the IRS for 17 years by failing to pay taxes on income from a rental unit in a Dominican Republic resort.
The scandal forced him to give up the chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
But his allies say his seniority as dean of the New York delegation, his status as the House’s third-longest serving member, and his regular presence on cable news, give him prominence no successor could match.
Rangel, who won a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his heroism in the Korean War, first won his seat 43 years ago in 1970, when he engineered an upset of legendary Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
dfriedman@nydailynews.com