NY's upcoming primary election showcases cracks in Democratic party
While New York’s high-stakes U.S. House races might help decide control of Congress in November, the Empire State’s upcoming June 25 primaries are worth following as a litmus test of growing cracks within the Democratic Party.
Incumbent Representative Jamaal Bowman, a progressive Democrat representing the 16th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx, is being challenged by Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The race’s battle lines revolve around one of the major issues fracturing the Democratic party—the Israel-Hamas war.
In a zinger-filled debate on Spectrum News NY1 on Wednesday, the two opponents lashed out at each other on issues ranging from foreign policy to race.
“They recruited him [Latimer] to run against me, and they’re spending more money in this race than they have ever spent in their history,” Bowman said of the pro-Israel group, American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “Why? We should not be sending billions of dollars to another country to commit genocide while we are struggling to live day to day right here in this district.”
Latimer retorted that the former teacher-turned-politician was only focusing on the Black communities and not being inclusive to all. “There’s a whole district, Jamaal, that you’ve ignored, and the district knows you’ve ignored it. That’s why you only have 31% in the last poll.”
The Westchester politician also took a swipe at Bowman, who famously pulled a fire alarm on Capitol Hill in 2023, saying it was accidental. The congressman was censured in December after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of falsely activating the alarm, paying a $1,000 fine, and apologizing to the Capitol police.
Not without his own election-related issues, Latimer has been accused of dog-whistle racism by groups such as the New York Working Families Party, having recently said Bowman’s “constituency is Dearborn,” a town in Michigan with a substantial Muslim American Population. AIPAC-aligned groups have spent nearly $2 million in support of Latimer’s campaign, part of a larger spending spree by Pro-Israel groups on races across the country.
Recent polls show Latimer with a comfortable lead over Bowman, having accumulated endorsements from Hillary Clinton and the New York Post, a rare combination. Early Voting starts on June 15- June 23, 2024, and election day is June 25.
Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Jamaal Bowman's seat in jeopardy ahead of NY primary