Hillary Clinton has made a rare move by backing the primary opponent of a sitting House Democrat in New York, sparking considerable backlash from some in her party.
The one-time Senator from New York endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the congressional seat that is currently held by Representative Jamaal Bowman.
‘With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever,’ wrote Clinton on X on Wednesday.
The former first lady’s endorsement of Latimer upset a number of progressives who were quick to condemn the move, with some suggesting it was more of a reason to cast their ballot for Bowman.
‘Imagine taking Hillary Clinton’s advice in a year with Trump on the ballot,’ wrote Bhaskar Sunkara, a democratic socialist journalist, taking a swing at Clinton’s historic 2016 loss.
Hillary Clinton endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer in his primary against incumbent Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman
Bowman (pictured) is likely in trouble with recent polling suggesting Latimer, 70, may walk away with a landslide victory over the incumbent
Briahna Joy Gray, a former press secretary for Bernie Sanders who was just fired from her job hosting The Hill’s ‘Rising’ after rolling her eyes during an interview with the sister of an Israeli hostage, said that Clinton’s endorsement of Latimer is a ‘clear’ indication that people should be voting for Bowman.
‘Hillary Clinton endorsed the AIPAC challenger to @RepBowman who recently dog whistled that Bowman’s constituency was Dearborn,’ she wrote.
Bowman, who is competing for his third term in Congress, is a progressive Democrat and member of the so-called ‘Squad,’ who has been met with criticism from his own party and elsewhere for his ongoing criticism of Israel in the wake of October 7.
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His primary against Latimer is one of the most competitive races in the House and is being watched carefully by Democrats and Republicans.
His seat – New York’s 16th Congressional District – covers half of Westchester County and a small portion of the Bronx. The territory is deep blue, meaning whichever candidate emerges victorious from the Democratic primary will all-but-certainly be headed to Congress.
‘In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda – just like he’s always done. Make a plan to vote by June 25th!’ wrote Clinton.
Latimer, responding to the 2016 presidential candidate’s endorsement, responded: ‘I’m honored to have the support of Hillary Clinton, whose decades of service are an inspiration,’ and flagged that early voting begins this weekend.
Bowman, whose district has a large Jewish constituency, has arguably alienated significant numbers of his voters by staking a fervently anti-Israel position and repeatedly digging in the months since the outbreak of the war.
‘He’s gone far enough out that even the left-leaning Israel advocacy group J Street withdrew its endorsement of Bowman in January, complaining that he had crossed a line in putting the blame for the conflict too much on Israel and not on Hamas,’ wrote CNN’s Manu Raju last month.
While Latimer has defended Israel as the war provoked by Hamas’s terrorism rages on, Bowman, 48, was quick to call Israel an ‘apartheid state’ in the weeks following the attack.
He was also an early supporter of the narrative that claims rapes of Israeli women and murders of children were ‘lies.’ He later walked back some of those comments.
For these reasons and others, Bowman has seen a decline in support from members of his own party – the latest example being Clinton’s pointed endorsement of Latimer.
However, despite Bowman’s popularity among mainstream Democrats, others in the party who exist far to the left of the Clintons have found ample reason to condemn the critical endorsement of Latimer.
Their reasoning ranges from Latimer being Islamophobic, to Latimer being backed by Trump supporters, to general disdain for Clinton and her politics.
During a recent debate between the primary opponents, Latimer criticized Bowman for paying more attention to progressive constituencies around the country than his voters in Westchester.
‘What [Bowman’s] done is give speeches all across the country. When you get as much money as you get from outside the district, your constituency is Dearborn, Michigan.
‘Your constituency is San Francisco, California. It’s not Harrison. It’s not Tuckahoe. It’s not Scarsdale. You’re not even there to be part of the events of those communities,’ he said.
Some heard Latimer’s reference to Dearborn, a heavily Muslim city in the metro-Detroit area, as Islamophobic.
While Latimer (pictured) has defended Israel as the war provoked by Hamas’s terrorism rages on, Bowman, 48, was quick to call Israel an ‘apartheid state’ in the weeks following the attack
Journalist Mehdi Hasan, whose Peacock show was canceled last November, but was frequently accused of airing anti-Semitic coverage before that, called Latimer’s comment ‘straight up Islamophobia.’
Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman, who identifies as Palestinian, wrote ‘This endorsement coming right after Latimer’s islamophobic comments is on brand tbh, and I’m tired of everyone ignoring it.’
Recent polling suggests Latimer, 70, may walk away with a landslide victory over the incumbent.
Late last year, Bowman was also censured by the Republican-led House after pulling a fire alarm in what looked like an effort to disrupt a vote.
The congressman claims to have ‘mistakenly’ pulled the alarm while on his way to the Chamber to cast a vote. But, security footage clearly showed the lawmaker removing warning signs on a blocked exit door before opening it and eventually pulling the alarm.
The warning signs noted that an alarm would sound if the doors were opened.