Hillary Clinton endorses 'Squad' member Jamaal Bowman's challenger, George Latimer

WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, in the increasingly competitive Democratic primary for New York’s 16th congressional district seat.

Bowman, a member of “The Squad” made up of progressive congressional Democrats, is already in a vulnerable position after his sharp criticisms of Israel that his opponents say put him at odds with members of his district, CNN reported.

Clinton wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that “with Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever.”

“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,” she wrote.

Some polls show Latimer leading the race by a wide margin. For instance, an Emerson College poll conducted between June 6 and June 8 shows Latimer leading Bowman 48% to 31%. Twenty-one percent of voters said they are undecided.

“Voters under 40 break for Bowman: 44% to 35%, while voters over 40 break for Latimer,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Democratic primary voters ages 40-59 break for Latimer 53% to 31%, while voters in their 60s break for Latimer 46% to 29%, and voters over 70 break for Latimer 53% to 22%.”

The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 25.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hillary Clinton endorses Jamaal Bowman's challenger for House seat