By Brian Tumulty, Gannett Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON – Residents in 10 of New York's 27 congressional districts vote Tuesday in primaries for districts ranging from the Southern Tier to the Hudson Valley, the North Country, New York City and the eastern tip of Long Island.

Veteran Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem is in a four-way Democratic primary with his chief challenge coming from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, who lost to Rangel in a five-way 2012 Democratic primary by 1,086 votes.

Redistricting in 2012 of Rangel's 13th Congressional District gave him part of the Bronx, changing the demographics so that it's now more than 52 percent Hispanic. Espaillat is hoping to become the first Dominican-American in Congress.

This is widely believed to be Rangel's last race, win or lose, according to political scientist Doug Muzzio of Baruch College.

"In a sense, it's one of those history-in-the-making elections,'' marking the end of an era for the ascendancy of black politicians from Harlem in New York politics, Muzzio observed.

Muzzio of Baruch College doesn't expect upset primary losses for the other New York City Democrats: Rep. Jose Serrano of the Bronx, Rep. Nydia Velazquez of Brooklyn or Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens.

18th District: In what could be the lowest turnout primary in the state, the roughly 22,000 members of the Independence Party in the Hudson Valley district will choose between Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney of Cold Spring and former Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth of Bedford. Maloney is on the November ballot with the Democratic and Working Families ballot lines. Hayworth has the Republican and Conservative Party lines. The Independence Party line will give the winner an edge if their rematch from 2012 is close once again.

1st District: State Sen. Lee Zeldin of Shirley is engaged in a spirited Republican primary against businessman George Demos of Stony Brook. The winner will face Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop of Southampton on the November ballot. Zeldin already has the Conservative Party line.

4th District: There are Democratic, Republican and Conservative Party primaries in the District covering part of Nassau County, where four candidates are battling to win the seat being vacated by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice is favored to win the Democratic primary and the November general election. She already is assured of the Working Families ballot line.

21st District: Republicans Elise Stefanik, a former White House aide from Willsboro, and Matthew Doheny, a wealthy businessman from Watertown, are vying for the Republican line to run against Democrat Aaron Wolf in November. Both Republicans already have another ballot line. Doheny has the Independence Party line and Stefanik has the Conservative Party line.

22nd District: For Rep. Richard Hanna, the primary is a test for a Main Street Republican incumbent who is being challenged in a Republican primary by one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly. Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney of New Hartford has been endorsed by local and national tea party groups. Hanna has the backing of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, other business trade organizations, the National Rifle Association and county Republican Party committees. Democrats missed the deadline for putting a candidate on the ballot to run against Hanna in November, so a Tuesday victory would virtually assure him of re-election.

Contact Brian Tumulty at btumulty@gannett.com Twitter: @NYinDC