In a case of the mighty having fallen, the campaign of Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation and a man who was for decades untouchable in his Harlem district, is $35,000 in debt but has only $5,000 in the bank and has received handouts from other House members.
Mr. Rangel faced his first serious primary challenge in years, spending nearly a half-million dollars to fend off the son of the man he first deposed decades ago.
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And ethics charges have worn him down, forcing him to fundraise separately for a legal defense fund. His campaign donated the maximum allowed, $5,000, to the legal fund, disclosures showed Thursday.
Mr. Rangel, who long helped other colleagues raise money, more recently has found himself on the receiving end of charity, as his colleagues in the House donated money to him through their leadership PACs, an act that had never before been necessary.
