Rep. Jamaal Bowman loses New York Democratic primary to pro-Israel centrist George Latimer

George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist, defeated U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday in a Democratic primary in suburban New York that highlighted deep divisions throughout the party over the Gaza war.

With the victory, Latimer removed one of the liberal voices in Congress and one among its most outspoken critics of Israel. Bowman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, where 1000’s of Palestinians died in military attacks.

Latimer, who entered the race on the urging of Jewish leaders and had major financial backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Commission, is a former state legislator who has served as Westchester County executive since 2018.

In his victory speech, Latimer called for more civility after the controversial election.

“We need to fight so that we don’t denigrate each other and remember that we are all Americans and our collective future is intertwined,” he told supporters on the White Plains event.

“We argue, we debate, we find a way to unite,” he said, adding that every one representatives have a responsibility to find ways to overcome political divisions and forestall the country from falling apart.

Bowman was in search of a 3rd term representing a district in New York’s northern suburbs. His defeat is a blow to the party’s progressive wing and a possible warning for candidates trying to shape their message across the Israel-Hamas conflict.

His loss also disrupted a generally stable primary season for officials serving in Congress. Most current members of Congress have been able to fend off challenges from their party, although GOP Rep. Bob Good finds himself in a good race with a rival backed by Donald Trump and the race is simply too close to call.

“This movement has always stood for justice. It was always about humanity. It was always about equality,” Bowman said at his campaign rally in Yonkers, admitting he lost the race but making no apologies for his opposition to the Gaza war.

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

“The result in this race demonstrates once again that a pro-Israel stance is both good policy and good politics – for both sides,” the U.S. Israel Public Affairs Committee said in a press release.

Some major progressive figures rushed to Bowman’s defense. In the ultimate stages of the race, he joined forces with liberals Republican Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, while Latimer received the endorsement of former presidential candidate and former New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

When it comes to Israel, each Bowman and Latimer support a two-state solution. The two also condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people. However, Bowman was one among the few progressives who rejected a symbolic House resolution supporting Israel after the October 7 attack. Latimer strongly supports Israel and has said that ceasefire negotiations with Hamas mustn’t be entered into because he believes it’s a terrorist group.

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Bowman was first elected in 2020 after running as a liberal insurgent against moderate U.S. Republican Eliot Engel, a 16-term congressman who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Bowman, 48, has also adopted an outsider political strategy this yr, portraying Latimer as a tool of Republican donors and pro-Israel groups.

Latimer said Bowman’s criticism of Israel was just one among the explanations he decided to challenge the incumbent president. He said Bowman just isn’t being attentive to the district’s needs, has little contact with its leaders and is more fascinated with getting spots on cable news than helping people.

During the campaign, Latimer, who has greater than three many years of political experience, has often played up his deep regional knowledge and connections to make the case that he shall be an efficient member of Congress. Latimer said that’s the type of politics people expect from their elected officials, not the acrimonious battles between the far right and the far left, a transparent dig at Bowman.

In addition to his stance on Israel, Bowman has faced constant criticism for an incident last yr by which he set off a hearth alarm within the House of Representatives constructing while lawmakers were working on a funding bill. He said it was unintentional and the alarm went off when he tried to open the locked door in an attempt to vote. Bowman was criticized by his House colleagues, and the incident generated embarrassing media coverage.

The congressional district boundaries have modified since Bowman first took office in 2020, losing most of its Bronx sections and adding more Westchester County suburbs.

Currently, according to U.S. Census data, 21% of the voting-age population is Black and 42% is non-Hispanic white, compared to 30% Black and 34% white within the district as of 2022. Bowman is Black. Latimer is white.

As the election approached, Bowman focused on increasing turnout within the parts of the Bronx that remained in his district, telling supporters there that the competition could hinge on their votes. He also spent most of Election Day within the Bronx, and video posted on the social media site X shows Bowman walking down a street within the Bronx on Tuesday with a drum line behind him.

Latimer, 70, shall be the clear favorite to win the overall election. The district, which incorporates a part of Westchester and a small sliver of the Bronx, is a Democratic stronghold.

Across the country, Democratic Party leaders have emphasized a shift toward centrist candidates who could do higher in suburban races.

Also Tuesday, Democratic voters on Long Island selected former CNN anchor John Avlon as their candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Nick LaLota in a district that has been GOP-held for a decade.

Avlon defeated retired chemistry professor Nancy Goroff within the Democratic primary. The Long Island congressional district has develop into a priority for Democrats because the party tries to flip seats within the New York suburbs as a part of a technique to gain a majority within the House of Representatives.

But winning the seat could possibly be an uphill battle for Democrats in November, after Democratic state lawmakers modified its boundaries during redistricting to make it barely more Republican-friendly and improve their possibilities in other districts.

In central New York, Democrats have chosen state Sen. John Mannion because the party’s nominee to face Republican Brandon Williams, a Republican who represents a recently redistricted congressional district where President Joe Biden defeated Trump by 11 points 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. Republican Claudia Tenney thwarted a primary challenge from Mario Fratto, a lawyer and businessman who previously lost to Tenney within the last primary for the secure Republican seat on Lake Ontario.