Clyde Williams knew he wasn’t going to be showered by endorsements from the usual suspects —  prominent elected officials, local political clubs and labor unions — in his bid to unseat Charlie Rangel and represent upper Manhattan and the northwest Bronx in Congress.

“I never, ever thought I’d get support from the political machine,” said Williams in a recent interview.

Unfortunately for Williams (and maybe voters), leading up to the June 26 Democratic primary, the narrative of the campaign, at least in the media, has centered around the endorsements being handed out to the race’s two most connected candidates: Rangel, who has held the seat for 41 years, and State Senator Adriano Espaillat, who spent the last 16 years as a legislator in Albany (14 as an assemblyman).

While Williams, a Harlem resident who has worked for President Clinton and under President Obama, expressed some frustration with the media’s focus on endorsements, he also believes his separation from the “political machine” serves as an advantage on the campaign trail and would free him from taking any “baggage” with him to Capital Hill if he gets elected.

The machine and all the support that comes with belonging to it, he argues, is all about territory, loyalty and protection. It has little to do with being a good legislator.

“I don’t have the historical legacy of focusing on just one base,” he said. “I don’t have to feed the political machine, which is set up to protect incumbency. I have chance to represent the district, the entire district, from Day One.”

Williams may not have the connections to the local machine, but he is quite connected in Washington, where he grew up, went college and enjoyed a swift rise as a political operative, eventually landing a job in the Clinton administration — in the White House as deputy director of scheduling and in Department of Agriculture as deputy chief of staff.

In 2001, Williams moved to Harlem to help kick-start Clinton’s new foundation, serving as his domestic policy advisor and working on small business initiatives. Later, Williams worked for the Center for American Progress, a lefty think-tank and joined a business partnership that acquired a technology firm. His last job was as the national political director for the Democratic National Committee. His wife, Mona Sutphen, served as deputy White House chief of staff for President Obama.

His capital connections have helped Williams raise more than $350,000, which, according to the Daily News, has allowed him to canvass 25,000 doors and send out 88,000 mailers.

And he says those connections will help him be a productive legislator in Washington if the voters give him an opportunity to represent them.

“I’m the only [candidate besides Rangel] to have worked in DC and I have a lot of friends in government agencies,” Williams said. “I will make certain to use those connections to bring resources into Manhtattan and the rest of the district.”

For all his capital cred, Williams is still learning his way around the Bronx. His website, and his pledge to “move Uptown forward,”  fail to mention the Bronx. But he has shown up to several recent community meetings in the borough, including those of the 52nd Precinct Community Council and Bedford Mosholu Community Association.

Williams says whether you’re in the Bronx or Manhattan, your problems are probably similar: you need a job, you have health problems, your local school isn’t performing. Those are problems, he says, that Rangel (or Espaillat, he adds) has failed to solve while in office.

“There are historic problems in our communities that have not been solved,” he said in explaining why he was running against a legend in Rangel.

Williams says he would address unemployment by focusing on training people to “do the jobs that are available,” including working in upper Manhattan’s burgeoning tourism industry.  “We need to invest in human capital, there’s nothing more important,” he said. He added that he would emphasize help for small businesses and work to streamline the way they apply for loans.

While Williams is obviously frustrated by the endorsement narrative, he did recently point out the importance of a non-endorsement. Williams’ former boss, Bill Clinton, who has backed Rangel in the past, declined to support the incumbent this time around. Williams said this meant a lot to him, telling the Daily News he would “never forget the fact that he stayed neutral.”

Ed. note: Tune in for 13th Congressional District debate on Monday night, June 11, at 9 p.m.