In the 2008 Venezuelan regional elections he won 67% of the vote, against Andrés Velásquez' 30%.
He was previously president of the Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG).According to Venezuelanalysis.com, "While on the negotiation commission to resolve the 15-month-long dispute at Sidor, Rangel ordered the National Guard to fire on protesting Sidor workers." In April 2008 Hugo Chavez ordered SIDOR to be nationalised.