Carney unsure whether Obama will back Rep. Rangel for reelection

White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to say Monday whether President Obama will support Rep. Charles Rangel’s (D) bid for reelection in New York.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Carney said during the daily White House press briefing.

{mosads}He added that Obama does want to support a Democrat in Rangel’s seat.

Rangel is facing some of the toughest opposition of his 21-term career in the House from Democrats challenging him in the primary. The most serious challenges come from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat (D) and Clyde Williams, a former aide to the Clinton and Obama administrations who has locked up the support of many of his former colleagues.

Redistricting in New York created a tougher path to victory for Rangel in an overwhelmingly Democratic district that was once majority African-American but now has mostly Hispanic voters. Health difficulties and ethics violations have also complicated Rangel’s reelection prospects.