Charles Rangel has promised that this is his last term and he will retire in 2016, and there is already a declared candidate to replace him whose name is well-known in Harlem. NY1's Courtney Gross filed the following report.
Adam Clayton Powell IV really wants to follow in his father's footsteps.
"The two people that have occupied the seat, my dad and congressman Rangel, have been legendary," Powell said.
His father being Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the legendary Harlem congressman who served for nearly three decades.
"We need somebody with a progressive voice to preserve the history of these last 70 years, and I am that voice," Powell IV said.
So a year and a half before the primary, the former assemblyman officially declared his candidacy for congress.
It's not his first try at the seat. He's run twice before, challenging Rep. Charles Rangel back in 1994, and then again in 2010. It was Rangel, after all, who unseated his father.
"Listen. There's so many people that have already announced or are thinking about announcing. This is a lot too early for me to determine who I would like to see succeed me," Rangel said Tuesday. "But I think Adam has earned the right to be considered."
"It's a little early for endorsements," Powell said. "I just wanted to put it out there so that people know I'm not exploring this. The fact is, I've been exploring this district for over 20 years."
The former assemblyman has had his fair share of controversy, like an arrest for driving while intoxicated in 2008. He was convicted of a lesser charge.
"I was acquitted by a jury of driving while intoxicated," Powell said. "If we want a perfect candidate, then maybe we should go to the Vatican and pick the pope, and even he is an imperfect servant of God."
Of course, Powell isn't the only one interested in the seat.
"Welcome to the party," said Assemblyman Keith Wright of Manhattan. "Certainly, I'm still exploring. I've opened up an exploratory committee. It is a year and a half away."
Granted, Wright's name is also being floated for Assembly speaker should Sheldon Silver be replaced.
Pastor Michael Walrond might also want to build on his upstart bid for the seat last year. He told NY1 he is considering a run.