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George Latimer defeats Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York primary

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6 months ago

June 27, 2024

George Latimer defeats Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York primary

George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist, defeated U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday in a Democratic main in suburban New York that highlighted the get together’s deep divisions over the warfare in Gaza.

With the victory, Latimer has ousted some of the liberal voices in Congress and certainly one of its most outspoken critics of Israel. Bowman has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the place 1000’s of Palestinians have died in navy strikes.

Latimer, who received into the race on the urging of Jewish leaders and had heavy monetary backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is a former state legislator who has served as Westchester County government since 2018.

AP correspondent Julie Walker experiences on a really costly Democratic main race in New York being intently watched across the nation.

In a victory speech, Latimer referred to as for extra civility following the contentious election.

“We’ve got to struggle to ensure we don’t vilify one another and we do not forget that we’re all People, and our widespread future is sure collectively,” he instructed supporters at an occasion in White Plains.

“We argue, we debate, we discover a option to come collectively,” he stated, including that each one representatives had an obligation to search out methods to work throughout political divides and forestall the nation from splintering.

Bowman had been in search of a 3rd time period, representing a district in New York Metropolis’s northern suburbs. His defeat is a blow to the get together’s progressive wing and a possible cautionary story for candidates attempting to form their messaging across the Israel-Hamas battle.

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His loss additionally disrupted what has usually been a steady main season for congressional incumbents. Most present members of Congress have been capable of repel challenges from inside their get together, although GOP Rep. Bob Good is in a good contest with a rival backed by Donald Trump in a race that’s too close to call.

“This movement has always been about justice. It has always been about humanity. It has always been about equality,” Bowman said at his election party in Yonkers, conceding that he lost the race but remaining unapologetic about his opposition to the war in Gaza.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s political action committee spent nearly $15 million on the primary, filling airwaves and mailboxes with negative ads in an effort to unseat Bowman, who has accused the influential pro-Israel lobbying group of trying to buy the race.

“The outcome in this race once again shows that the pro-Israel position is both good policy and good politics — for both parties,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee said in a statement.

Some major progressive figures have rushed to Bowman’s defense. In the final stretch of the race, he rallied with liberals Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, while Latimer pulled in the endorsement of former presidential candidate and former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

On Israel, both Bowman and Latimer support a two-state solution. They have also both condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people. But Bowman was one of a few progressives who rejected a symbolic House resolution in support of Israel following the Oct. 7 attack. Latimer firmly backs Israel and said negotiating a cease-fire with Hamas is a non-starter because he believes it is a terrorist group.

Bowman was first elected in 2020 after running as a liberal insurgent against moderate U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, a 16-term congressman who chaired a House committee on foreign affairs. Bowman, 48, embraced the political outsider strategy this year as well, depicting Latimer as a tool of Republican donors and pro-Israel groups.

Latimer said Bowman’s criticism of Israel was only part of the reason why he decided to challenge the incumbent. He said Bowman hasn’t been attentive to the needs of the district, maintained few relationships with its leaders, and was more interested in getting spots on cable news than he was in helping people.

During the campaign, Latimer, who has more than three decades of political experience, often displayed his deep regional knowledge and connections to make the case that he would be an effective member of Congress. Latimer has said that’s the sort of politics people expect from their elected officials, rather than caustic fights between the far right and far left — a clear dig at Bowman.

Aside from his position on Israel, Bowman has been followed by lingering criticism over an incident last year when he triggered a fire alarm in a House building while lawmakers were working on a funding bill. He said it was unintentional, with the alarm going off when he tried to open a locked door while trying to vote. Bowman was censured by his colleagues in the House, and the incident drew embarrassing news coverage.

The congressional district’s boundaries have shifted since Bowman first won office in 2020, losing most of its sections in the Bronx and adding more of Westchester County’s suburbs.

Today, 21% of its voting-age population is Black and 42% is non-Hispanic white, according to U.S. Census figures, compared to 30% Black and 34% white in the district as it existed through 2022. Bowman is Black. Latimer is white.

Bowman, as the election neared, focused on driving up turnout in what parts of the Bronx remain in his district, telling supporters there that the competition might hinge on their votes. He spent the majority of his election day within the Bronx, too, and a video posted to the social media web site X confirmed Bowman strolling down a road within the Bronx with a drum line behind him on Tuesday.

Latimer, 70, would be the prohibitive favourite to win within the common election. The district, which incorporates elements of Westchester and a small piece of the Bronx, is a Democratic stronghold.

Nationally, Democratic Get together leaders have emphasised shifting towards centrist candidates who would possibly fare higher in suburban races.

Additionally on Tuesday, Democratic voters on Lengthy Island picked former CNN anchor John Avlon because the candidate who will problem incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in a district that’s been managed by the GOP for a decade.

Avlon defeated retired chemistry professor Nancy Goroff within the Democratic main. The Lengthy Island congressional district has develop into a precedence for Democrats because the get together tries to flip suburban seats in New York as a part of a method to win a Home majority.

However profitable the seat may very well be an uphill battle for Democrats in November, after Democratic state lawmakers modified its borders throughout redistricting to make it barely extra pleasant to Republicans to enhance their possibilities in different districts.

In central New York, Democrats picked state Sen. John Mannion because the get together’s nominee to tackle U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican who represents a not too long ago reconfigured congressional district the place President Joe Biden beat Trump by 11 factors within the 2020 election. Mannion defeated Sarah Klee Hood, a city councilor within the Syracuse suburb of Dewitt.

In one other race, incumbent U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney thwarted a main problem from Mario Fratto, an legal professional and businessman who had beforehand misplaced to Tenney within the final main election for the safely Republican seat positioned alongside Lake Ontario.