NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 26: Congressman Charles Rangel speaks after declaring himself the winner in the race for the Democratic primary challenge in New York's 15th congressional district on June 26, 2012 in New York City.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel has conceded almost two weeks after a closely contested primary race in New York City.
State Sen. Adriano Espaillat made the announcement Monday. He also says his lawyers will abandon a court challenge.
Over the weekend, Rangel had apparently clinched a primary victory by a margin of 990 votes.
After a ballot count that ended Saturday, a New York City Board of Elections spokeswoman says the 82-year-old congressman received 18,940 votes. Espaillat won 17,950 votes in the June 26 primary.
Espaillat had claimed in court that his supporters had been improperly turned away from polls.
Rangel faced one of his toughest fights in more than four decades following his censure for ethics violations. He’s congratulating Espaillat for “running an ambitious campaign.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
