Charlie Rangel’s lead over challenger Adriano Espaillat is vanishing.
By midday Wednesday, with 93 percent of precincts in the 13th congressional district reporting, Rangel had 43.98 percent, or 16,898 votes, compared to state Senator Adriano Espaillat’s 41.18 percent, or 15,823 votes, a difference of 2.8 percentage points.That’s according to unofficial results compiled by The Associated Press. Early Wednesday morning, Rangel’s lead was at 5 percentage points.
The remaining votes to be tallied will come from Espaillat’s stronghold, which raises the possibility of a recount if the gap narrows to half a percent of the votes counted. Charlie’s not out of the woods yet; redistricting and an ethics scandal may still spell the end for this 21-term congressman.