Mr. Cuomo cited Mr. Rangel’s decades of service in Washington in arguing for his election to a 22nd term. “He has seniority, he knows the system,” the governor, a fellow Democrat, said in an interview on “Capital Tonight,” a political program on the upstate cable network YNN. Mr. Cuomo also said: “He’s been very good at bringing things back to the state of New York, which is a big part of what the Congress does.” “And,” he added, “I think he is best suited not just for the district, but for his state. His seniority is a major asset for this state.” For months, Mr. Cuomo told reporters that he would not talk about political subjects until after the conclusion of the legislative session. It ended on Thursday; the governor offered his endorsement of Mr. Rangel on Friday. Mr. Cuomo also endorsed Assemblyman Hakeem S. Jeffries, who is running for the seat currently held by Representative Edolphus Towns of Brooklyn. Mr. Towns is retiring. The governor has worked with Mr. Jeffries, most recently on a proposal to cut down on low-level marijuana arrests in New York City. The proposal died in the recently concluded legislative session, but Mr. Cuomo has said he will continue to pursue it. Mr. Jeffries’s opponent, Councilman Charles Barron, ran for governor in 2010 to protest what he called a lack of diversity in state politics, and he heckled Mr. Cuomo at a dinner for minority lawmakers last year. Mr. Cuomo also urged the re-election of Representative Nydia M. Velázquez of Brooklyn, who was a co-chairwoman of both his campaign for governor in 2010 and his transition team. Ms. Velázquez is being challenged by Councilman Erik M. Dilan, who is backed by the Brooklyn Democratic chairman, Vito J. Lopez, and two others.
