Adam Clayton Powell IV Starts Run Against Charles Rangel

(April 12) --The son also wants to rise.

New York State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, the son of the first African-American to be elected to Congress in the state of New York, said today he intends to challenge Charles Rangel in this year's Democratic primary for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The two men have a history. Rangel's victory over Powell IV's father, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., in the 1970 Democratic primary led to the civil rights icon's subsequent departure from Congress.

New York State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, center, announces his candidacy for U.S. Congress in New York City

Seth Wenig, AP

New York State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, center, announces his candidacy for U.S. Congress Monday. Powell will challenge Rep. Charles Rangel.

It has been a difficult year for Rangel. In March, he gave up his post as the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. An ongoing ethics investigation of his financial disclosures has brought widespread criticism from members of both political parties, Powell IV included.

"The fact that he is no longer chairman is significant," Powell IV told The New York Times today as he announced his run from his Harlem office. "If he were still chairman, I might not be running. "

Rangel, 79, is accused of receiving free gifts from corporate sponsors, including trips to the Caribbean. Ironically, accusations of ethical misconduct contributed to Adam Clayton Powell Jr.'s vulnerability in running against Rangel. In 1967, it was learned that Powell Jr.'s wife, Yvette Diago, was on the U.S. payroll, although she lived in Puerto Rico and held no government job. Diago is Powell IV's mother.

Now 47, Powell IV was just 8 when Rangel defeated his father. But Powell assured reporters that his decision to run has nothing to do "with revenge or anything like that."

For his part, Rangel says he is "surprised" at Powell's challenge.