A onetime adviser to former President Bill Clinton has begun to consider a run for New York Rep. Charles Rangel's seat in Harlem, according to the Huffington Post.
Clyde Williams hasn't begun to campaign yet, but he has raised close to $200,000 in the last 10 weeks, according to Politico. He has formed an exploratory committee, and according to Politico, several former Rangel donors wrote checks to Williams.
"I am humbled by the support that I've received up to this point," Williams told the Huffington Post. "This helps give me a good platform to build further."
Williams will try to unseat Rangel in a community where he's been a stronghold for decades. Williams' main message: "It's time for some new energy."
"I don't ever want to say that this congressional district has lacked any kind of leadership," Williams said in an interview late last year. "I think that Congressman Rangel has been effective, but I do believe there comes a time when you do need new energy and new ideas to continue to build on some of the things that have taken place over the last few years."
Williams' main challenge in Harlem will be convincing the old guard to vote for him. One of Rangel's main advantages is that many of Harlem's young people and working professionals hardly ever get to the polls. If he's able to mobilize the young vote and new residents and slice away a portion of Rangel's old supporty, we could have a new era in Harlem.
Read more at the Huffington Post.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.