This crowded fundraiser was a departure from Charlie Rangel's legendary birthday bashes of the past, which were often headlined by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick and attended by New York's black political royalty — former New York City mayor David Dinkins, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Harry Belafonte.
This year, many of the speakers were lesser-known Dominican activists and political strategists. The headliner was Dominican entertainer Frederick Martinez "El Pacha," a popular Spanish-language radio and television host.
Those changes to the guest list tell almost the entire story of the political peril that threatens to end one of the iconic careers in American politics.
Over his 40-year career, Rep. Charles Rangel, "the congressman from Harlem," became one of best-known political figures in American politics and a defining voice in the nation's black politics.
The longest-serving member of the influential New York delegation, Rangel was one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus and over time came to represent one of the standards of Democratic liberalism.
But the campaign for the Democratic nomination, to be decided in a primary Tuesday, has turned into a debate about whether Rangel has stayed too long in office and whether he still best represents the interests of the district.
Through immigration and redistricting, what is now New York's 13th Congressional District — a seat held by Rangel since 1971 and seen as the center of New York's modern black political power structure — has seen a seismic demographic shift from majority black to majority Hispanic.
Hoping to seize on those demographics as well as the perception of Rangel's waning political power in the years since he was formally censured by Congress in 2010 for ethics violations, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat is mounting a spirited challenge to the 22-term incumbent — a rematch of the 2012 race in which Rangel topped Espaillat by just 1,000 votes.
But, vowing to not be taken by surprise, Rangel has campaigned hard and boasts the endorsements of many of the nation's top Democrats. Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have all lent their names to Rangel's re-election bid which, if successful, will likely make him the second-longest-serving current House member, behind only Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who is also seeking re-election. Rangel's campaign has also worked to underscore his links to local Hispanic communities, rolling out endorsements from local Latino leaders.
"The Dominican people have in Congressman Rangel a big supporter and a big ally," said Victor Gomez Casanova, a member of the Congress of the Dominican Republic who spoke at the birthday gala. "This is about confidence, and the Dominican community and the Dominican people, we have confidence in Charles B. Rangel."
In recent years, Rangel's district has been recarved, turning what has for years been a majority black district into one that is 52 percent Hispanic and adding new parts of the Bronx where Rangel is not as well-known or as well-regarded.
"Dominicans have never had a congressman, and whenever that moment comes that they do, it will be a tremendous moment," said former New York governor David Patterson. "But, if we're thinking in a meritocracy, Congressman Rangel is working as hard now as some people are in their sixth and their eighth year" in Congress.
Rangel must also contend with the lingering effects of a House Ethics Committee investigation, which found him guilty of 11 ethics violations including failure to pay taxes and improperly using congressional resources. That scandal forced him to resign as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and prompted his 2010 censure by the House.
There is a notion among some voters that Rangel is past his prime, and that is where Espaillat, 59, sees his opening. But Rangel is not going quietly. He has unleashed pointed attacks at Espaillat and is stressing his ties to the Hispanic community, noting in stump speeches that he is part Puerto Rican. He is making a virtue of his long tenure.
"For the nation, these next two years are going to make history," Rangel declared to the packed room at his birthday gala. "These next two years are not the years for someone who just has pride and ambition, it's for someone . . . who has the experience to guide the ship into the dark for the next two years."
Energetic and confident, Espaillat says he's "feeling great" about his chances in next week's vote, noting several prominent endorsements, including City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Local 100 of the Transit Workers Union. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who once managed a Rangel campaign, has not made an endorsement.
On Thursday, the New York Times editorial board endorsed Espaillat:
"After a humiliating censure by Congress four years ago for failing to pay taxes and other ethical lapses, Representative Charles Rangel has steadily lost power in Washington. After nearly 44 years in office, it is now time for him to yield to the next generation."
"Everybody is tired of Rangel," declared John Samuelsen, president of the Transit Workers Union Local 100, which has criticized Rangel for not doing enough to bring federal money to the district to fund transit worker jobs. "We need a champion that will stand up for us. That's not Charlie Rangel."
Espaillat, joined by members of several unions that have endorsed him, made his way through the district on a hot summer Saturday.
He stopped in storefronts and took the stage at a local parade held by several churches in the district. When he came upon the Beacon Community School, he briskly made his way to the second-floor gymnasium — walking right onto the floor of an ongoing basketball game for a local summer league, shaking the sweaty hand of each player and referee before the game could resume.
"Bailamos!" he declared, as he burst into a room just down the hallway from the gym, where salsa lessons were being taught. Stealing the partner of the dance instructor, he led her in a series of twirls and dips.
"June 24. In the Democratic primary, vote for Adriano Es-paill-AT!" a supporter declared as the candidate and a group of about a dozen supporters canvassed East Harlem — known locally as "El Barrio" or "Spanish Harlem" — last weekend.
There, several voters told Espaillat they would happily vote for him, saying it was time for Rangel to move on.
"We should thank Rangel for his service to this neighborhood," said Manuel Guerrero, an organizer for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which has endorsed Espaillat. "But he's powerless. It's up to us to remove him from Congress; it's time for new leadership."
Meanwhile, Rangel has hit back forcefully at his opponents, leveling pointed criticisms and asserting they would be unproductive replacements. During a debate in April, Rangel turned to his opponents and declared, "If I thought for one minute that either one of you two can go to Washington, I'd be home with my wife and my grandkids."
It's attacks like those, as well as a series of negative mailers attacking Espaillat put out by Rangel in recent weeks, that Espaillat supporters point to as evidence that an upset is within reach.
"It's a 44-year incumbent who is going negative now, at this point in the race," said Jesse Campoamor, Espaillat's campaign manager. "It's a sign of desperation."
A New York Times/NY1/Siena College poll in late May showed Rangel with the backing of 41 percent of likely voters — including two-thirds of black voters — and Espaillat pulling 32 percent, with the support of more than half of the district's Hispanic voters.
That poll found 15 percent of respondents were undecided, while single-digit slivers of the electorate say they support Harlem minister Michael Walrond, whose ties to Sharpton are expected to lead him to siphon votes from Rangel, and Bronx resident Yolanda Garcia, a Dominican political operative expected to cut into Espaillat's share of the vote.
"I'd like to see a new face," said Lillian Jones, 65, an African-American nurse who has lived in the district for decades.
Jones, who stopped to chat with Espaillat as the candidate canvassed East Harlem last weekend, said she is torn. Her health-care workers' union has endorsed Rangel. But she would also like to see a younger, more forward-thinking person representing her district.
"These candidates tell you everything you want to hear until you tell them, 'You've got my vote,' " Jones said. "Right now, it's about figuring out which one of them would go to D.C. and not forget about us."
