By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Sen. Chuck Schumer is putting his money on scandal-plagued Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel.
Schumer's political action committee IMPACT made a $10,000 contribution to Rangel's campaign on June 29, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The contribution helped Rangel — who was forced to step down as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee because of ethics inquiries — haul in $294,000 this quarter, bringing his total raised this cycle to $2.3 million.
“It’s a sign he thinks the congressman’s reelection is a slam-dunk,” Scott Levenson, a New York-based political consultant, told The Hill of Schumer's gift.
But the Rangel campaign said the support comes as no surprise, noting the two Charles have worked together for years.
"I think that Sen. Schumer, like a lot of the elected officials and leaders in the city, know what Congressman Rangel has meant to us," spokesman Bob Liff said.
Schumer's office did not immediately return a call for comment.
Other Democratic lawmakers have been largely steering clear of Rangel since allegations of ethics violations began to surface back in 2008, The Hill said. The Harlem pol lost the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee earlier this year after he was accused of violating gift rules and failing to pay taxes on a vacation home, among other charges.
The campaign filings come as new numbers released Monday by Public Policy Polling show that Rangel is still leading the race.
If the vote were held today, 39 percent of those polled said they would vote for Rangel, while 21 percent would choose runner-up Adam Clayton Powell IV.
Almost half of those polled say they viewed Rangel favorably, versus a third for Powell.
