Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman has become the first member of The Squad to be ousted from Congress after a crushing defeat in his New York primary.
Support from fellow progressive Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez couldn’t save the fire-alarm-pulling Bowman as his opponent George Latimer, 70, secured a convincing victory on Tuesday night.
Their Bronx rally at the weekend that was mocked for their WWE-style entrances and foul-mouthed speeches full of f-bombs seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Bowman’s bid for a third term.
The contest in New York’s 16th Congressional District was the most expensive primary in history – with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee pouring $15million into a campaign against Bowman.
Bowman was targeted for his anti-Israel views and his strong support for Palestinians in the wake of the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks.
He was one of the first to demand a ceasefire and has flirted with conspiracies about Israel, prompting some within his own party to accuse him of antisemitism.
Voters also wouldn’t have forgotten him pleading guilty to pulling a fire alarm in Congress because he was running late to votes.
The future of the hardcore progressive Squad is now on shaky grounds and Bowman’s performance does not bode well for Democrats who publicly oppose Israel.
Latimer is a former state legislator who has served as Westchester County executive since 2018. He’s the favorite to win in November in the Democratic stronghold.
Bowman’s district is partly affluent, white and Jewish in Westchester and partly black and brown voters in the Bronx.
‘Jamaal Bowman should pull the fire alarm again because he is going to be smoked by [Latimer] today,’ former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, wrote on X.
‘The message is clear: anti-semitism in any and all forms will not be tolerated in New York. And you can’t call yourself a progressive without making progress.’
The former principal who once pulled the fire alarm in the Capitol during votes has lost the support of at least one colleague: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., came out in support of Latimer on Monday.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said ‘good riddance’ to Bowman’s loss on X.
‘From his juvenile fire alarm antics to his vile anti-Semitism to his profanity-laced tirades to his support for open borders & defunding police, Jamaal Bowman has been an embarrassment to his party, his district & our state. Good riddance.’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., shared a clip of a heated exchange he had with Bowman off the House floor over gun control last year.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also jumped into the race on Latimer’s side – as did former Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., a progressive and fellow member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Jones soured on Bowman over his criticisms of Israel. He is expected to win a nomination to face Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in the fall.
In a final debate with Latimer on Tuesday, Bowman, 48, who is black, went after Latimer for his close ties to AIPAC and claimed he slow-walked desegregation as Westchester County executive.
‘He claims to be a Democrat, but he is supported by racist MAGA Republicans who support taking your voting rights — gutting your abortion rights,’ Bowman said.
‘This is an example of using race as a weapon,’ Latimer shot back. ‘What we need to do is bring people together.’
Last week Bowman came under fire for a new report claiming he asked a Jewish leader to send him photos of them together to prove he has Jewish friends.
A private text between Bowman and an unidentified Jewish leader from when Bowman first ran for re-election in 2022 was published by Jewish Insider on Tuesday.
‘Do you have pics of us? So I can show the world I’m friends with Jewish People,’ Bowman wrote, according to the report.
The leader did have a photo with Bowman, but did not share it with the congressman.
‘I was uncomfortable,’ the Jewish leader said of the awkward message. ‘I kind of joked around with him about it. I said, ‘Oh, I’m sure you guys have it. Don’t worry about it.’
‘I was like, ‘I don’t want to be his court Jew,’ he said. ‘That wasn’t what I signed up for.’