-- by Devlin Barrett, The Wall Street Journal:

With a critical primary vote scheduled before a verdict in his House ethics trial, judgement for Rep. Charles Rangel will come first from the voters. That verdict will likely hinge on old alliances, long-running rivalries and the changing face of his upper Manhattan district.

The 80-year-old Rangel is facing a Sept. 14 primary against a handful of opponents, including one he’s seen before: state Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, the son of the man Rangel unseated back in 1970. The younger Powell, who was raised in Puerto Rico, tried unsuccessfully to unseat Rangel in 1994.

So now the Harlem-centered district faces a choice that underscores the changing demographics of the area: a legendary black politician with a Hispanic name — Rangel — versus a Hispanic candidate with the name of a legendary black politician — Powell.

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