Despite ethics woes, Rangel holds vast fundraising edge ahead of primary

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) may be embroiled in an ethics scandal in Washington, but in his home district the longtime congressman appears to be in a solid position ahead of his Sept. 14 primary.

The latest indication of that is Rangel’s pre-primary fundraising report, which shows him well ahead of his top opponent.

{mosads}From July 1 through Aug. 25, Rangel hauled in $403,630 and reported $422,668 cash on hand. It’s not quite as much as it seems, given that $133,680 came in the form of a transfer from Rangel’s political action committee.

But Rangel still raised close to $70,000 from other PACs, and his report includes donations from former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (D), former New York City Mayor David Dinkins (D) and Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), who now finds herself embroiled in her own ethics controversy over the awarding of scholarships.

State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV (D), the man considered Rangel’s top primary challenger, raised just $44,170 over the same time period and reported $38,929 cash on hand.

Powell is the son of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., whom Rangel defeated in 1970 to win his seat.

Rangel’s other challengers fared even worse on the fundraising front. Activist Jonathon Tasini raised just over $23,000, and Joyce Johnson raised $17,000.