...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Representative Jamaal Bowman received more bad news about his reelection campaign after one of his fellow House Democrats endorsed his primary challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer just one day before his primary.
Bowman, a progressive New York Democrat first elected in 2020, is facing a primary challenger from Latimer in New York's 16th Congressional District, which includes part of the Bronx and Westchester County, a suburban area north of New York City. Bowman has faced backlash among more moderate voters in the district over his stance on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Bowman has called for a ceasefire raising concerns about Israel's ground offensive in Gaza. Latimer, meanwhile, has established himself as the more moderate, pro-Israel candidate, voicing support for its military following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack.
Read More on News
The race has garnered national attention as moderate Democrats view it as a chance to defeat one of Congress' most left-leaning members while progressives Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, held a rally for Bowman over the weekend amid record-breaking ad spending and troubling polls.
On Monday, just one day before the primary, a leading centrist Democrat in Congress backed Latimer.
"I'm proud to endorse @LatimerforNY. We need more commonsense leaders and problem solvers in Congress. I know George will fight hate in all forms, and stand up for the values we all believe in," Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat who is a co-chair of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus, wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
Usamah Andrabi, the communications director for Justice Democrats, which has supported Bowman, slammed the endorsement in a post to X.
"Few members of Congress have obstructed Biden's agenda more than Josh Gottheimer. The irony of this race is the coalition of right-wing interests aligning with Latimer with the pitch that they'd serve Democrats better. Also, glad Gottheimer has found another islamophobic ally," Andrabi wrote.
It's fairly uncommon for members of Congress to weigh in on primary challenges faced by their colleagues. Some commenters viewed the endorsement as a bad sign for Bowman, though others criticized Gottheimer for the endorsement.
"Truly unprecedented. Several incumbent Democratic members of Congress and challengers are calling for the ouster of Jamaal Bowman," posted user Russell Drew.
"Not surprising but proves Latimer has momentum," wrote X user Matt Boxer.
"Makes sense the guy who undermined Biden by splitting BIF from BBB is working to undermine and divide Democrats again. It's the Josh show. Women and families don't matter," commented user Melissa Byrne.
Newsweek reached out to Bowman's campaign for comment via email.
...
Gottheimer is the first sitting member of Congress to officially endorse Latimer, but many other high-profile politicians have backed his primary campaign, as well as several moderate New York City lawmakers.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Representative Nita Lowey and former Representative Eliot Engel, who Bowman defeated in a 2020 primary challenge, have all backed Latimer.
In addition to Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, Bowman has earned the support of other high profile progressives in Congress including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and more left-leaning local politicians.
Ahead of the primary, polls suggest Latimer has a lead over Bowman.
An Emerson College poll conducted among 425 likely voters from June 6 to 8 found that 48 percent of respondents said they plan to back Latimer, while 31 percent said they will vote for Bowman. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
A March 26 to 30 Mellman Group poll, sponsored by the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, found Latimer leading 52 to 35. That poll was conducted among 400 likely voters and had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will be considered likely to win the general election in the deeply Democratic district. The district backed President Joe Biden by nearly 45 points in 2020.
Bowman's campaign has also faced record-breaking spending, with the United Democracy Project, an affiliate of American Israel Public Affairs, donating $14 million to defeat Bowman, according to AdImpact data. The race has become the most expensive House primary of all time, with the majority being spent against the incumbent.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines