New York's 13th Congressional District elections, 2012
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November 6, 2012 |
June 26, 2012 |
Charles Rangel  |
Michael Grimm  |
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The 13th Congressional District of New York held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Charles Rangel was re-elected on November 6, 2012.[1]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: New York has a closed primary system, meaning only registered members of a particular party may vote in that party's primary.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by June 1, 2012. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 12, 2012, or October 26, 2012 in person.[2]
- See also: New York elections, 2012
Incumbent: Heading into the election was incumbent Michael Grimm (R), who was first elected to the House in 2010. Due to redistricting, Grimm ran in the new 11th District, and 15th District incumbent Charlie Rangel ran in the new 13th.
This was the first election using district maps based on data from the 2010 Census. New York's 13th Congressional District is located in the southeastern portion of the state and includes parts of New York City.[3]
On the night of the Democratic primary, Rangel declared victory with a 2,000-vote lead over challenger Adriano Espaillat. Over the next 12 days, that lead shrunk to 990 as the city elections board finished counting all of the votes, which they completed on July 7, 2012.[4] Espaillat had filed court documents, and a judge granted his request to hold certification of the vote tallies until Espaillat had a chance to make his case that some voters had been improperly disqualified.[4][5] On July 9, 2012, however, Espaillat conceded the election and opted not to pursue further legal action.[6]
Some said discrepancies at the polls and in the vote counting raised questions about the Board of Elections' credibility.[7][8] Several Hispanic advocacy groups investigated whether some voters were unfairly disenfranchised in the election.[6]
Fusion voting
New York is one of eight states that have "electoral fusion" -- which allows more than one political party to support a common candidate. This creates a situation where one candidate will appear multiple times on the same ballot, for the same position. Electoral fusion was once widespread across the United States, but is now commonly practiced only in New York.
Opponents of fusion voting argue that the process results in dealmaking to ensure that patronage is rampant.[9] Proponents maintain that fusion voting allows for minor parties to actually make a difference during the election, allowing voters the opportunity to vote for a minority party platform but still affect the general election result.[10]
Candidates that appeared in the general election are listed below with colored dots corresponding to any party they represented on the ballot.
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
General election candidates
June 26, 2012 primary results
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Election results
General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Charles Rangel Incumbent |
90.7% | 175,016 | |
| Republican | Craig Schley | 6.3% | 12,147 | |
| Independent | Deborah Liatos | 2.9% | 5,548 | |
| N/A | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 202 | |
| Total Votes | 192,913 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed September 1, 2021 | ||||
Primary ballot contest
While Charlie Rangel declared victory on election night with a 6.6 percentage-point lead, his lead shrunk over the next few days as results continued to trickle in. Adriano Espaillat took back his concession and prepared to challenge the final count in court. After that final count was completed on July 7, 2012, Espaillat conceded the election for good on July 9, 2012, although he and others continued to question the Board of Elections' actions.[6][16]
As of Thursday, June 28, 2012, 94% of precincts had reported, and Charlie Rangel's lead in the Democratic primary had shrunk from 6.6 percentage points on election night to 3 percentage points. Challenger Adriano Espaillat was just over 1,000 votes behind Rangel.[17]
As of July 2, 2012, Rangel's lead had shrunk to 802 votes.[18] By July 3, 2012, Espaillat had filed court documents calling for a recount and possibly a new election.[19] The city Board of Elections had yet to finish counting all of the paper votes.[20]
On Friday, July 6, 2012, ballot counts showed Rangel with about a 1,000-vote lead.[21] Espaillat was scheduled to make a case in court on July 11,[22] saying that some ballots for him were incorrectly thrown out, or request a new election altogether.[21] Espaillat also faced pressure to choose between pursuing the 13th District race or filing for re-election to his New York State Senate seat on July 12, since New York state law forbids politicians from running for two offices simultaneously.[21]
On Saturday, July 7, 2012, the city Board of Elections finished counting all of the ballots, and Rangel beat Espaillat by 990 votes.[4] The results were not yet official, as a judge delayed certification until Espaillat could make his legal case on July 11. Espaillat planned to argue that some voters were unfairly disenfranchised.[4][22] In a press statement, Espaillat said: "A ballooned number of affidavit ballots and hundreds of calls of people that said they were turned away because they said they couldn’t find them in the books? ... No notification for a voter that there was an election. All these things amounted to a big red flag."[16]
On July 9, Espaillat conceded the race.[6] He opted not to make his case in court, saying "[W]e came up short — 2 percent... It’s virtually impossible for the results to be different."[6] He and other still had doubts about the Board of Elections' handling of the primary,[16] but he is leaving further presses to advocacy groups.[6]
Race background
Democratic primary
Charlie Rangel had represented New York's 15th District since he was first elected in 1970. Due to redistricting, his territory was redrawn into the new 13th District. The 2012 Democratic primary election presented Rangel's toughest challenge since he defeated the previous incumbent 42 years ago.[23]
State Senator Adriano Espaillat, former Bill Clinton staffer Clyde Williams, former executive Joyce Johnson, and former Rangel intern Craig Schley all challenged Rangel in the June 26 Democratic primary.[24][25]
Analysts expected race to come into play, as demographic changes and redistricting meant that the traditionally black district is now majority Hispanic.[26] Rangel's foremost challenge came from Espaillat, who was born in the Dominican Republic.[26] While considered a "black politician," Rangel also has Puerto Rican heritage.[23][26]
Two other main issues were Rangel's recent ethics violations and his extensive term in office. Rangel received censure from the U.S. House in 2010 for failing to report some income.[26] And Rangel's challengers pointed out that the 82-year-old congressman has been in office for over half his life.[25][26] The incumbent also suffered health problems this past year that kept him out of Washington for significant chunks of time, raising questions about his ability to represent the district.[26] Rangel, however, dismissed these objections: "If I can support the initiatives that we started, how can I possibly sit on the sidelines?"[23]
Incumbent Michael Grimm was a part of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program, a program to help House Republicans stay on offense and increase their majority in 2012.[27]
Debates
June 14, 2012
On June 14, 2012, all five Democratic candidates met for a debate. Rangel and Espaillat traded some intense words, with Rangel questioning a petition drive for Espaillat that the state senator says he's not involved with. Espaillat parried by bringing up Rangel's own ethics issues. Williams urged the candidates to avoid personal attacks and focus on the issues. Schley commented that Rangel was "antiquated" and was past his political prime.[25]
Super PAC involvement
The Super PAC Campaign for Primary Accountability targeted Rangel for defeat in the primary.[23]
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in New York
Following the results of the 2010 Census, New York lost two congressional seats, bringing its total number of representatives down from 29 to 27. In the redrawn map, the 13th District now includes much of the territory of Charlie Rangel, who represents the pre-redistricting 15th District, along with parts of the Bronx.[23]
According to a report in the Washington Post political blog "The Fix," New York was one of the top 10 redistricting battles in the nation.[28]
The 13th District was re-drawn after the 2010 Census. The new district is composed of the following percentages of voters of the old congressional districts.[29][30]
- 1 percent from the 14th Congressional District
- 80 percent from the 15th Congressional District
- 10 percent from the 16th Congressional District
- 10 percent from the 17th Congressional District
Registration statistics
As of October 29, 2012, District 13 had the following partisan registration breakdown according to the New York State Board of Elections:
| New York Congressional District 13[31] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congressional District | District Total | Democrats | Republicans | Other & Unaffiliated | Advantage | Party Advantage | Change in Advantage from 2010 |
| District 13 | 357,113 | 282,108 | 17,978 | 57,027 | Democratic | 1469.18% | 1397.54% |
| "Party advantage" is the percentage gap between the two major parties in registered voters. "Change in advantage" is the spread in difference of party advantage between 2010 and 2012 based on the congressional district number only. | |||||||
District partisanship
FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012 study
- See also: FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012
In 2012, FairVote did a study on partisanship in the congressional districts, giving each a percentage ranking (D/R) based on the new 2012 maps and comparing that to the old 2010 maps. New York's 13th District remained more Democratic after redistricting.[32]
- 2012: 90D / 10R
- 2010: 90D / 10R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measured each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. New York's 13th Congressional District had a PVI of D+41, which was the second most Democratic district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 94-6 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, John Kerry (D) won the district 90-10 percent over George W. Bush (R).[33]
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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2010
On November 2, 2010, Michael Grimm was elected to the United States House. He also ran on the Conservative Party candidate. He defeated Michael E. McMahon (D), and Tom Vendittelli (Libertarian).[34]
| U.S. House, New York Congressional District 13 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Michael Grimm |
49.5% | 65,024 | |
| Democratic | Michael E. McMahon | 46.2% | 60,773 | |
| Blank/Scattering | 3.6% | 4,700 | ||
| Libertarian | Tom Vendittelli | 0.7% | 929 | |
| Total Votes | 131,426 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in New York, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ York ABC News, "2012 General Election Results," accessed November 6, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Voting Deadline Page," accessed June 30, 2012
- ↑ New York Redistricting Map, "Map" accessed September 25, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Wall Street Journal, "Board of Elections: Rangel wins by 990 votes," July 7, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post blog, "Rangel opponent files for re-vote in increasingly tight primary," July 5, 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 New York Times, "Rangel’s Opponent Gives Up And Will Halt Court Challenge," July 9, 2012
- ↑ Newsday, "Rangel-Espaillat race highlights need for statewide election standards in NY," July 5, 2012
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Troubling actions by Board of Elex members," July 6, 2012
- ↑ Clarence Bee, "State Senate candidate calls for an end to fusion voting", accessed September 19, 2013
- ↑ Oregon Working Family Party, "What is Fusion Voting?", accessed September 19, 2013
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 New York Board of Elections "List of Filings for June 26, 2012 Federal Primary," accessed May 30, 2012
- ↑ Columbia Spectator 'Harlem activist Craig Schley formally announced his candidacy against longtime Representative Charles Rangel" accessed February 17, 2012
- ↑ NY Daily News "Clyde Williams adds big-money names to list," April 13, 2012
- ↑ Capital Tonight "Joyce Johnson Makes 2nd Attempt Against Rangel," March 28, 2012
- ↑ New York Elections "2012 Candidate List"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Politicker, "Adriano Espaillat Won’t Be Giving That Apology to The Board of Elections," July 10, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Rangel results still unsettled," June 28, 2012
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Rangel rival challenges primary results," July 2, 2012
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Espaillat seeks recount or new NY primary election," July 3, 2012
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Adriano Espaillat vs. Charlie Rangel showdown: Espaillat's lawyer accuses Board of Elections of stonewalling in ballot challenge," July 3, 2012
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Wall Street Journal, "Rangel Adds To Vote Edge in New Count," July 6, 2012
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 New York Times, "Rangel’s Slim Lead Widens as Ballot Count Continues," July 5, 2012
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Roll Call, "Charlie Rangel at Risk in Rough Race," June 13, 2012
- ↑ New York Daily News, "4 candidates for 13th C.D. make hay at Lehman TV debate - but Rangel skips it," June 13, 2012
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 NY1 "Sparks Fly Between Rangel, Espillat At ICH Congressional Debate," June 14, 2012
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 NPR "Harlem Icon Faces 'Perfect Storm' In Re-Election Bid," June 13, 2012
- ↑ NRCC "Patriot Program 2012"
- ↑ Washington Post, "The Fix," "Redistricting battles hit a fever pitch," June 3, 2011
- ↑ Moonshadow Mobile's CensusViewer, "New York's congressional districts 2001-2011 comparison"
- ↑ Labels & Lists, "VoterMapping software voter counts"
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "District Active Enrollment 2012," April, 2012
- ↑ "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in New York," September 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" accessed October 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
