Political arena

Posted Wednesday, June 20, 2012 11:32 am

Five Manhattanites are vying to represent the newly drawn Congressional District 13, about one-quarter of which falls within the Bronx. The borough is home to about 19 percent of registered Democrats who could weigh-in on the race.

Still, much of the focus has been on Manhattan.

Last weekend, The New York Times brought that reality home to the doorsteps of its 4,784,000 subscribers, with its endorsement of Clyde Williams.

The Times editorial page said the district included “parts of the South Bronx.”

Then, the New York Post’s endorsement of state Sen. Adriano Espaillat on Sunday mislabeled the district he is running in as District 15 and said it covered upper Manhattan, with no mention of the northern borough.

Congressional District 13 includes the Northwest Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Van Cortlandt Village, Norwood Bedford Park and University Heights. It also includes Marble Hill, (technically Manhattan) which also was not mentioned by The New York Times.

Knowledge of the mainland has varied among candidates for the seat.

We ran into Mr. Espaillat — who already represents nearby neighborhoods as a state senator — campaigning in the Bronx last week near his newly-opened campaign office on Kingsbridge Road.

He has said openly that he thinks Bronx voters will carry him to victory.

Just after 5 p.m., Mr. Espaillat and his staffers handed literature to people coming off the No. 4 train at the corner of Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue. Most walked by.

But a few minutes later, former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer arrived and as people recognized the former borough president and walked up to get a picture (sometimes a kiss), Mr. Ferrer directed them Mr. Espaillat’s way: “Say hello to your next Congressman, Adriano Espaillat,” he said.