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Rep. Michael Grimm, Cuomo up for reelection: races to watch 2014

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  • State Sen. Adriano Espaillat is making a second bid to unseat Charles Rangel from the 13th District seat that he has held for 22 terms. Their primary rematch is one of the most closely watched races of this year's election season. The last time around, Espaillat nearly edged out Rangel in the Democratic Primary with 1,086 votes. The 13th District includes upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
    Photo Credit: Patrick McCarthy
  • A number of elected officials in the state Legislature have been forced to prematurely depart office following corruption or sexual harassment scandals. In the Bronx, where corruption seems to be a sort of badge of honor for some politicians, the 79th Assembly District was left vacant after Eric Stevenson was convicted of taking $22,000 in bribes. A handful of little-known candidates appear to be gunning for the seat, including veteran Obama campaign operative Michael Blake. The 79th District includes the neighborhoods of Morrisania and East Tremont.
    Photo Credit: Craig Ruttle
  • Some political observers were astonished when state Sen. Malcolm Smith announced, back in January, that he was going to campaign for reelection even as he faces bribery charges. Reports indicate he may have as many as two Democratic challengers, and both of them have little to no name recognition. Smith was first elected in the 14th District in 2000. In 2013, he was arrested by FBI and accused of scheming to bribe his way into the mayoral race. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the allegations may not be enough to unseat him: Voter turnout in off-years is notoriously low and incumbents have rarely been defeated in the past decade. The 14th District includes Hollis, Springfield Gardens and Cambria Heights.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan

The 2014 ballot won’t have the cachet that comes from being a presidential election year or even a mayoral election year. But there are several races for key seats that represent a large swath of New Yorkers at the state and federal levels.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to easily overcome his challengers. Congressman Charles Rangel — 22 terms in office — once again faces a challenge from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat. And incumbent former FBI undercover agent-turned-U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm has been indicted on federal fraud charges, meaning the Republican Party could be on the verge of losing its only congressional member in the city.

Here are the races to watch for 2014, which will be updated through the campaign season.

Federal primary: June 24
Statewide primary: Sept. 9
General election: Nov. 4

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