Harlem Mystery: Did Rangel's District Go for Barack Obama?

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel was an early and essential backer of Hillary Clinton's campaign for president.

The support of the senior House Democrat was required if the senator from New York was to be able to run nationally with the assurance that her home turf was "locked up." And Rangel, as the dean of New York's Democratic House delegation, and a dominant player in the politics of Harlem for four decades, helped to do just that.

Along with the support of Georgia Congressman John Lewis, Rangel's backing also gave Clinton credibility in the African-American community beyond New York. But, now, Lewis is wavering in his support for Clinton -- suggesting to the New York Times that, after his Atlanta-area congressional district voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, he is likely to cast his superdelegate vote at the Democratic National Convention for the surging senator from Illinois.

When word came that Lewis and other African-American House members were starting to talk about "keeping faith" with their constituents and voting for the candidate who could be the first African-American nominee for president, I immediately checked the results from Rangel's congressional district.

According to figures reported after the February 5 New York primary, Rangel's Harlem-based 15th district voted rather comfortably for Clinton. The unofficial count with 100 percent of the votes supposedly tabulated was:

Clinton -- 55,359 votes, 53 percent

Obama -- 47,514 votes, 45 percent

That was close enough to create a 3-3 delegate split. But it was a clear Clinton win, and thus there would be no pressure on Rangel to vote the will of a congressional district that backed Obama.

Or so it seemed.

Now comes Saturday's New York Times Metro Section report headlined: "Unofficial Tallies in City Understated Obama Vote."

According to the paper:

"Black voters are heavily represented in the 94th Election District in Harlem's 70th Assembly District. Yet according to the unofficial results from the New York Democratic primary last week, not a single vote in the district was cast for Senator Barack Obama.

City election officials this week said that their formal review of the results, which will not be completed for weeks, had confirmed some major discrepancies between the vote totals reported publicly -- and unofficially -- on primary night and the actual tally on hundreds of voting machines across the city.:

The Times adds this relevant information: "The 94th Election District in Harlem, for instance, sits within the Congressional district represented by Charles B. Rangel, an original supporter of Mrs. Clinton."

No one is suggesting that Rangel did anything wrong. There are many explanations for why vote counts are off, and there are many players in the process -- and Rangel is one of the more honorable of the lot.

What New Yorkers should be asking for, however, is a complete review of the results in New York City, with a heavy focus not just on the 80 election district where Obama supposedly received no votes but also on those where it appears that his vote was far below the level of support that he received in surrounding districts -- and that might reasonably be expected.

Could there be another 8,000 votes for Obama in the 15th?

That's a lot. But it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they exist.

No one, be they Clinton or Obama supporters, should question that every effort must be made to find every Obama vote in Harlem, along with "missing" Obama votes from other congressional districts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

At issue may be a few more pledged delegates for Obama -- no small matter in a close race for the nomination -- and the broader question of how superdelegates who want to respect the sentiments of their constituents, a group that could include Rangel and several other House members from New York, cast their votes at this summer's convention.

Comments (26)

1. "No one is suggesting that Rangel did anything wrong, nor should they. There are many explanations for why vote counts are off, and there are many players in the process."

   No, after all he's a Democrat and a liberal...so "no one" would EVER suggest that, huh, Mr Nichols???

   Posted by Mask at 02/16/2008 @ 10:35am

2. geez...i'm definately anti-clinton, but have avoided considering the possibility that her campaign might go this far, but...80 districts with not a single obama vote?

   my oh my oh my...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 11:28am

3. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 02/16/2008 @ 11:28am

   Mr Nichols seems to have TONS of "benefit of the doubt" for Charlie Rangel and what went on in Harlem.

   Think he would if Rangel were a Republican and it was Westchester?!?!?!!??

   Posted by Mask at 02/16/2008 @ 11:54am

4. No one wants to sugggest that Charlie Rangel stole the votes?

   I'll suggest it...Charlie Rangle knows where his bread is buttered, and it ain't by Obama......Just like Nancy Pelosi wants to remain the queen bee, Charlie Rangle wants to remain, how shall we say it...."Leading African American political Spokesman of the House (of representatives)"

   Posted by davebarlett at 02/16/2008 @ 11:56am

5. Posted by MASK 02/16/2008 @ 11:54am |

   almost certainly...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 12:11pm

6. It's pretty annoying that "the Nation" has decided to primarily focus on this dragged out campaign between two corporate dems. Why havent u covered the new telecom imunity bill that the house stalled, or other pressing issues.

   screw horserace journalism.

   by the way, why does this MASK guy post so much on every blog, dont you have a job. "The bums lost Lebowski."

   Posted by pyite2 at 02/16/2008 @ 12:35pm

7. by the way, why does this MASK guy post so much on every blog, dont you have a job. "The bums lost Lebowski."----Posted by PYITE2 02/16/2008 @ 12:35pm

   Donny, you're out of your element!

   Posted by Mask at 02/16/2008 @ 12:42pm

8. To paraphrase a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, "Something is rotten in the city of New Amsterdam."

   Posted by oraibi1952 at 02/16/2008 @ 12:47pm

9. Posted by PYITE2 02/16/2008 @ 12:35pm |

   both mask and i are eccentric old rich guys wheeling around in our mansions, contemplating our own mortalities, and hiring german porn stars to kidnap our trophy wives in a money making scheme...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 12:56pm

10. Posted by DAVEBARLETT 02/16/2008 @ 11:56am

    he aint. thats my very own jim clyburn...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 12:58pm

11. Since there is no "bright line" in a voting district in which voting behavior is "extremely" different, and certainly if there were a street or two where demographics had distinct shifts, these shifts wouldn't occur around the "entire" district so that not one Obama voter voted.

    Sounds like a clear voting irregularity that favored Hillary Clinton in districts controlled by Clinton supporters.

    Posted by Metteyya at 02/16/2008 @ 1:36pm

12. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 02/16/2008 @ 12:56pm

    No, that's you, man. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. That or His Dudeness... Duder... or El Duderino, if, you know, you're not into the whole brevity thing...

    Posted by Mask at 02/16/2008 @ 2:06pm

13. Posted by MASK 02/16/2008 @ 2:06pm

    log jammin'! with carl hungus!!!!

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 2:37pm

14. i'm here for the cable...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 2:38pm

15. "how do get 'em back down on the farm after they've seen carl hungus?"

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/16/2008 @ 2:39pm

16. "Sounds like a clear voting irregularity that favored Hillary Clinton in districts controlled by Clinton supporters. Posted by METTEYYA 02/16/2008 @ 1:36pm"

    Not counting blowback, that is.

    Posted by sloper at 02/16/2008 @ 3:34pm

17. c'mon america,

    export MORE democracy!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/16/2008 @ 6:06pm

18. Posted by ZERO 02/16/2008 @ 8:41pm

    that'll be expensive.

    i'm sure the dems and repubs will try to impose all sorts of tariffs.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/16/2008 @ 9:16pm

19. Posted by ZERO 02/16/2008 @ 9:24pm

    unless it's madeinchina!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/16/2008 @ 9:31pm

20. or made in pakistan:

    (New York, February 15, 2008) –

    In an audio recording obtained by Human Rights Watch (http://hrw.org/audio/2008/urdu/pakistan0208.htm), Pakistan's Attorney General Malik Qayyum stated that upcoming parliamentary elections will be "massively rigged," Human Rights Watch said today

    Human Rights Watch said that the recording was made during a phone interview with a member of the media on November 21, 2007. Qayyum, while still on the phone interview, took a call on another telephone and his side of that conversation was recorded. The recording was made the day after Pakistan's Election Commission announced the schedule for polls. The election was originally planned for January 8 but was postponed after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned to Pakistan on November 25. An English translation of the recording, which is in Urdu and Punjabi, follows:

    "Leave Nawaz Sharif (PAUSE).... I think Nawaz Sharif will not take part in the election (PAUSE).... If he does take part, he will be in trouble. If Benazir takes part she too will be in trouble (PAUSE).... They will massively rig to get their own people to win. If you can get a ticket from these guys, take it (PAUSE).... If Nawaz Sharif does not return himself, then Nawaz Sharif has some advantage. If he comes himself, even if after the elections rather than before (PAUSE)…. Yes…."

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/17/2008 @ 01:11am

21. NEW - on YOUTUBE "OBAMA SONG PORTRAIT: WE ARE THE CHANGE by Bjarne O."

    As the composer, Bjarne O., writes:

    "I combined Latino Rhythms, Chinese Erhu, African- and Native-American Voices with the Contemporary Symphonic Orchestra - in the great spirit of Unity - for this Song in support of Obama's great and true message: "Our Time Has Come; We the People are the Change we've all been waiting for. We are the Hope for the Future - YES WE CAN."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCQYTu8u7Sg

    YES WE CAN - ALL OF US TOGETHER

    Anne

    Posted by annevilla at 02/17/2008 @ 11:48am

22. Posted by MARKCANYON 02/17/2008 @ 5:08pm

    I thought you once said YOU were a "leftist", MARK?

    Or maybe it was "socialist"...no...wait...it was "National Socialist", right?

    Posted by Mask at 02/17/2008 @ 7:25pm

23. BTW, any newcomers....to understand where MARKHIMMLER is coming from, Search the Nation archives for

    BLOG | Posted 10/05/2007 @ 5:23pm Prison Reformers Finally Set Free by Matthew Blake

    and check out his "one bright moment in history" reference!

    Posted by Mask at 02/17/2008 @ 7:30pm

24. I suppose I just find it curious that Mr Nichols didn't even bother to cite any of the [myriad] legitate explanations for this serious discrepancy. I'm certainly inclined to give Rangle some benefit, but I'd love to hear just one specific reason to do so.

    Mostly, I'm curious why the editors would overlook such a glaring question.

    Posted by gonzukosan at 02/18/2008 @ 2:47pm

25. This is quite a story but for a few people who are talking about it,you would think that either people don.t care or people are not surprised. I hope that it is the latter.

    Posted by eniobob at 02/18/2008 @ 6:26pm

26. Editors;

    Any update on this story?

    Posted by Malcontent at 02/20/2008 @ 06:51am