De Blasio decides not to endorse Rangel

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is not going to endorse Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) for reelection.

At a press conference Monday, de Blasio was asked whether he plans to endorse Rangel.

“No,” he said, according to the New York Observer.

{mosads}Last month, Rangel said he had “no idea” if de Blasio would support his campaign for reelection even after de Blasio managed one of his campaigns in the 1990s.

The Observer notes that New York City’s comptroller and speaker of the City Council have already endorsed Rangel’s top Democratic challenger, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat. 

Rangel, 84, was first elected to Congress in 1970.

Despite de Blasio’s decision, Rangel has received endorsements from inside the beltway including former President Clinton, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), New York Sens. Charles Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D) and several Democratic members of New York’s congressional delegation. 

Rangel and Espaillat will face off in the June 24 primary.