Jamaal Bowman by Paul Froggatt / Shutterstock.com
CV NEWS FEED // Voters soundly rejected scandal-plagued far-left Rep. Jamaal Bowman Tuesday as he fell to Westchester County County Executive George Latimer in the Democratic Primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District.
Latimer outpolled the two-term incumbent by almost 13,000 votes – nearly 17% of the votes cast. The challenger received a total of 58.4% of the vote to Bowman’s 41.6%.
While Bowman won the district’s small sliver of the Bronx 84% to 16%, Latimer trounced him in Westchester by 63% to 37%. Westchester accounts for almost 90% of the votes cast in the district’s primary.
Bowman’s double-digit loss makes him the first member of the “Squad” – an informal group of nine controversial far-left House Democrats – to lose re-election since the group’s formation after the 2018 election cycle.
The congressman is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Bowman, 48, made headlines last September after he pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building shortly before an ultimately successful government-funding vote that leftists sought to delay.
The congressman – a former public middle school principal – claimed at the time that he thought pulling the alarm would open a door.
In addition, Bowman was dogged by allegations that he plagiarized his Ed.D. dissertation, which surfaced just days before the primary.
>> BOWMAN REPORTEDLY PLAGIARIZED DOCTORAL DISSERTATION <<
Latimer, 70, is a more mainstream Democrat than Bowman. Latimer had the backing of many high-profile members of the party, including its failed 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a Westchester resident.
The ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas served as a major issue during the campaign. Bowman has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide.”
The Wall Street Journal noted that Bowman’s stance on the war and other issues “pleased some progressives but rubbed other voters the wrong way, with critics saying he was out of step with his urban and suburban New York district.”
Latimer himself had quipped that Bowman’s real “constituency is Dearborn, Michigan.” The city of Dearborn notably boasts one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States.
The 16th District has a significant Jewish community, which largely coalesced behind Latimer’s candidacy.
Last weekend, Bowman’s campaign held a heavily-scrutinized rally for the embattled congressman.
Well-known far-left lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, attended the rally. Ocasio-Cortez raised eyebrows when she leapt onto the stage while a Cardi B song featuring sexually explicit lyrics played loudly in the background.
>> BOWMAN BLAMES STAFFERS FOR ‘NAZI’ MEMO <<
Bowman repeatedly used profane language during the rally. His congressional colleague Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY, slammed what he called Bowman’s “unhinged tirade.”
“The level of profanity here is so shocking as to be unbecoming of a Member of Congress,” said Torres, who represents a neighboring Bronx-based district.
As The Wall Street Journal indicated, Bowman first came to Congress after he “ousted incumbent Democrat Eliot Engel in the 2020 primary, running on issues such as the Green New Deal.”
Engel, a key ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, had represented the district since 1989.
While Bowman is the first-ever “Squad” member to go down in a primary, he likely will not be the last. Controversial Rep. Cori Bush, D-MO, is trailing her challenger St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in polling.
Latimer has held electoral office continuously since the late 1980s, having served (in order of positions held) as a city councilman, a county legislator, State Assemblyman, State Senator, and County Executive.
Since the 16th District is solidly Democratic, a victory in the party’s primary is tantamount to election and Latimer is all but assured membership in the next Congress.
